MS Catholic March 22, 2024

By rhina guidos

Border pilgrimage like Stations of the Cross for sisters as they

SAN DIEGO (OSV News) – Congress's latest attempt at immigration reform in early February was going down in flames.

The sisters were keeping tabs on it. But their focus Feb. 5-9 was the road from San Diego via the cold desert toward Mexico, to see what the landscape, migrants and the Holy Spirit had to say to them during a five-day "border pilgrimage."

"This wasn't just nuns crossing the border and feeling good," said Sister Suzanne Cooke, provincial of the U.S.-Canada province of the Society of the Sacred Heart, who was one of about two dozen sisters from various congregations who participated.

It was an opportunity to contemplate "What is God saying? What's my responsibility?" she told Global Sisters Report Feb. 9 about the pilgrimage.

What spoke to her and others were the stories from those they met on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, including a family of 10 from Afghanistan running from the Taliban's treatment of women; a Peruvian family of seven who left after threats from criminal elements; and a young Chechen escaping Russia.

Though silent, landmarks that sisters visited in the desert also told of the tragedies and ignominy people on the move are increasingly facing, such as "a potter's field with a fence," as one sister said of a dirt plot where unidentified remains – believed to be of migrants – are

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buried and kept behind a chain link fence in a cemetery. Or a group of feeble tents, the only shelter that protected recent border crossers from the winter's cold rain and snow that have pummeled the desert south of San Diego this season.

"We were talking 'pilgrimage,' but it seems almost like the Stations of the Cross," Sister Suzanne Jabro,

a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, said of the tales of hardship along the way.

Sister Suzanne, along with Sacred Heart Sister Lisa Buscher, Mercy Sister Mary Waskowiak, and Franciscan Friar Keith Warner – all from California's San Diego and Palm Desert area – organized the pilgrimage. It began and ended with a reflection at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego.

The organizers billed this on the theology school's website as an opportunity for congregations to think about "next steps in ministry to migrants, whether direct service, pastoral care, education or advocacy." But the pilgrimage also provided the opportunity to network and discern, as religious, what is happening at the border beyond the headlines and how to respond, Sister Suzanne said.

The pilgrimage sought to go beyond a border immersion experience, Sister Lisa said, and attempted to engage sisters in looking at the situation "with the eyes of the heart."

At times, it was an exercise that produced pain and tears.

Sister Clara Malo Castrillón, provincial of Mexico's Society of the Sacred Heart, wept as she rested her head against a fence that separated the migrant remains buried at Terrace Park Cemetery in Holtville, California, during a Feb. 7 pilgrimage stop.

– Continued on page 6 –

'perpetual pilgrims' eager to lead 'biggest Eucharistic procession in world history'

By Maria Wiering

(OSV News) – A profound experience with the Eucharist during Mass in his freshman year at Texas A&M University compelled Charlie McCullough to make Jesus the center of his life.

"Every decision that I've made after that has been a small step in that relationship and a small response to that invitation," said McCullough, a 22-year-old north Texas native. "And now the invitation is him saying, 'Come and follow me,' as we go on pilgrimage across the United States."

McCullough is one of 24 young adults who will be journeying with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament along four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes leading to the National Eucharistic Congress. The "perpetual pilgrims" will begin their treks May 17-19 – the weekend of Pentecost – from San Francisco; New Haven, Connecticut; Brownsville, Texas; and the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota.

Their routes – a combined 6,500 miles – will converge eight weeks later in Indianapolis for the July 17 opening of the five-day congress in Lucas Oil Stadium. Along the way, the pilgrims will go through small towns, large cities and rural countryside, mostly on foot, with the Eucharist carried in a monstrance designed particularly for this unprecedented event.

"This will be the biggest Eucharistic procession in world history," said Kai Weiss, a perpetual pilgrim

studying theology at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington. "I think Jesus will sanctify this land in an unimaginable way, even invisibly and in an unseen way. But obviously, we will be visible and we will be easily noticed, and I just look forward to what Christ in the Eucharist can bring to other people."

Weiss, 27, grew up in Regensburg, Germany, where elaborate Corpus Christi processions are commonplace, and people are familiar with Europe's long history

– Continued on page

A group of women religious, along with a priest and a Franciscan friar, stop by an abandoned camp in the desert, near Jacumba Hot Springs, south of San Diego, Feb. 7, 2024. Some prayed near the shoes, tattered tents and wet sleeping bags left behind where migrants sought shelter from winter storms affecting the San Diego region. (OSV News photo/Rhina Guidos, Global Sisters Report)

PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS

BATESVILLE – St. Mary, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, March 31 following 10:30 a.m. Mass. Details: church office (662) 563-2273.

BROOKHAVEN – St. Francis, Easter Egg Hunt and Photos, Sunday, March 31 following 9 a.m. Mass. Details: church office (601) 833-1799.

CLINTON – Holy Savior, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, March 24 at 9:30 a.m. Details: church office (601) 9246344.

CLEVELAND – Our Lady of Victories, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, March 24 after 9 a.m. Mass. For ages sixth grade and under. Bring 12 candy-filled eggs. Details: Jenifer at (662) 402-7050.

FLOWOOD – St. Paul, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, March 24 after 10:30 a.m. Mass. Details: church office (601) 992-9547.

GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Charity Tea, Saturday, April 20 at 2 p.m. in the parish hall. Cost: adults $25; children 10 and under $15. Tickets available after Mass on April 6 and 7; April 13 and 14. Limited number available. Details: church office (601) 856-2054.

GREENWOOD – Immaculate Heart of Mary, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, March 31 after 9 a.m. Mass. Details: church office (662) 453-3980.

HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, March 24 at 11:45 a.m. Hunts by age group (0-3; 4-6; 7-10). Lunch provided and prizes awarded. Details: church office (662) 429-7851.

JACKSON – St. Richard School, Flight to the Finish 5k and Fun Run, Saturday, April 20 at 9 a.m. Details: Visit website for more info and to register at https:// runsignup.com/Race/MS/Jackson/FlighttotheFinish. To sponsor visit https://bit.ly/FlighttoFinish.

JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman School, Annual Draw Down, Saturday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose building. Grand prize $5,000; tickets $100 (admits 2), second chance insurance $20. Enjoy great food, entertainment, silent auction, door prizes and more. Casual attire. Details: contact Shae at (601) 351-5197 or stbdrawdown@gmail.com.

MADISON – St. Francis, Luella and Floyd Q. Doolittle Golf Tournament, Saturday, April 15 at Whis-

per Lake Country Club. Information and registration form available at https://stfrancismadison.org/ knights-of-columbus. Details: Tunney at (601) 622-4145 or tunneyv1@icloud.com.

St. Francis, Save the dates: Vacation Bible School –June 17-20; Cajun Fest – Sunday, May 19.

NATCHEZ – St. Mary Basilica, Blood Drive, Tuesday, April 16, from 12:45-5:45 p.m. at the Family Life Center. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

St. Mary Basilica, Life Line Screening, Friday, April 19 at the Family Life Center. Advanced ultrasound technology looks inside your arteries for signs of plaque buildup. To register for an appointment and receive a special discount, call 1-800-640-6307 or visit llsa.social/hc.

SOUTHAVEN – Sacred Heart School, Trivia Night, Saturday, April 6, from 7-10 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Cost: $160 per team, eight person max. Door prizes, silent auction, split the pot raffle and decoration awards. Details: email Allison at abaskin@shsm.org to register.

STARKVILLE – St. Joseph, Spring Trivia Night, Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 p.m. Cost: $20/person or $10/ student (college undergrad or under) Details: email ben.bachman@gmail.com for reservations. Tables seat up to eight participants.

VICKSBURG – VCS Annual Alumni banquet, Sat urday, April 6, 5:30 p.m. Mass at St. Michael, with 6:30 p.m. social and 7 p.m. banquet at the Levee Street Warehouse. Honorary classes include Class of 1974 and 2024. Guest Speaker: George Valadie. Details: register to attend at https://www.vicksburgcatholic.org/apps/page/alumni.

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

GREENWOOD – St. Francis, Revival with Father Anthony Bozeman, SSJ, April 8-9 at 6 p.m. Details: church office (662) 453-0623.

MERIDIAN – St. Patrick, Divine Mercy Chaplet and more. Every weekday (Monday – Friday) at 3 p.m. join the Catholic Community of Meridian and others from around the country in praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet. If you are able to join, they also have evening prayer and the rosary at 4:45 p.m. Call (769) 206-1927 to join in.

DIOCESE – Each month, the Office of Catholic Education holds a Rosary in thanksgiving for Catholic education in the diocese. Join them via Zoom on Wednesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. Check the diocese calendar of events for the Zoom link. Join us!

NATCHEZ – Ladies Mini-Retreat “Hearing God in the Noise,” Saturday, April 6 at the Family Life Center. Check in begins at 8:30 a.m.; Retreat from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Morning of quiet, reflection and prayer presented by Melinda Laird. Details: to attend email parishprogram@stmarybasilica.org or call (601) 445-5616 to ensure we have enough materials for everyone.

NATCHEZ – 2nd annual Believe Conference, April 1921, 2024. Featured speakers are Anne Trufant, Catholic speaker and founder of The Mission on the Mountain; Barbara Heil, founder of From His Heart Ministries; and Joanne Moody, minister author, and founder of Agape Freedom Fighters. Cost: $100 for weekend; $50 for students. Lunch included on Saturday. Details: visit https:// www.themissiononthemountain.com.

OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Divine Mercy Sunday Celebration, Sunday, April 7 at 2:30 p.m. Join Father Ardi for

MARCH 22, 2024 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC

adoration, reflection, Divine Mercy Chaplet and more. All are welcome! Details: church office (662) 895-5007.

SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King, “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist,” Thursdays, April 4, 18, 25; May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; and June 6 from 6:30-8 p.m. How do these Jewish roots help us, to understand his real presence in the Eucharist? Facilitator is Don Coker. Details: church office (662) 342-1073.

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. – Women’s Morning of Spirituality, Saturday, April 13 at Catholic Church of the Incarnation (360 Bray Station Road). Continental breakfast in the gym at 7:15 a.m; Program begins in Sanctuary at 8:15 a.m.; Mass at 12:15 p.m. Opportunities for Adoration, Reconciliation, Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet. Details: church office (901) 441-6157.

CORRECTIONS

PEARL – In the March 8, Mississippi Catholic, we misprinted that St. Jude Pearl is holding a Reconciliation service in March. They already held their’s in February. We apologize for the error.

VICKSBURG – In the March 8, Mississippi Catholic, we misprinted the parish name for Grace

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39204 601-373-1460/601-373-3412

Thank you for your support to our apostolate of prayer.

To donate online, please visit our website www.jacksoncarmel.com

God bless you!

Jackson

May the Holy Spirit guide us through Holy Week and beyond

By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.

Lent arrives at its final stage with Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. It is an intensive time of accompanying the Lord Jesus in his passion and suffering, through his death, to the glory of the resurrection.

The uniqueness of the Palm Sunday Mass is found in the entrance rite with palm in hand, the procession, and the proclamation of the passion narrative. This year, the passion from the Gospel of Mark will resound throughout the Catholic world, and in a profoundly stark cry of forsakenness the Lord speaks for all of humanity. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.”

(Mark 15:34) Between Palm Sunday and the Easter Vigil, the great majority of the faithful will be gathered at the outset of Holy Week to allow the Lord’s final hours and words to wash over them in the blood and water flowing from his side.

Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare Movement expresses the great mystery of our forsaken Lord

in this manner: “We contemplated in him the height of his love because it was the height of his suffering. What more could a God give us, that it seems that he forgets that he is God … Jesus converted the world with his words, with his example, with his preaching, but he transformed it when he provided the proof of his love, the Cross.”

Lubich and all who see the Lord with the eyes of faith are building upon the unshakeable foundation of St. Paul on the power of the Cross. “Indeed, the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God … Jews demand signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified. This is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God … For I resolved that while I was with you, I would know nothing except Jesus Christ, and him crucified … so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” (1Corinthians 1:18, 22-24; 2:2-5)

Happy Ordination Anniversary

April 10

Father Pradeep Kumar

Thirumalareddy St. Mary Batesville

April 12

Father Raju Macherla

St. Elizabeth Clarksdale

Father Sleeva Reddy Mekala St. James Leland & Immaculate Conception Indianola

April 14

Father Suresh Reddy

Thirumalareddy St. Alphonsus McComb

April 18

Father Vijaya Manohar Reddy

With his blood and with his cry, Jesus crucified and forsaken opened up all possibilities for this life including forgiveness, unity, justice, and peace, and eternal life to follow. It is true that all of humanity is in exile, but there are those whose forsakenness is extreme. During these most sacred days of faith, we are mindful of those in the Holy Land especially, but not exclusively, who are crucified and forsaken in war, destruction, death and displacement. These abandoned are more closely configured to our crucified Lord in their suffering.

Thanugundla St. Francis Brookhaven

April 19

Father Sebastian Myladiyil, SVD Sacred Heart Greenville

April 24

Father Arokia Stanislaus Savio St. Peter Grenada

April 26

Father Jesuraj Xavier St. Francis New Albany

Thank you for answering the call!

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

Volume 70

Publisher Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

Communications Director

Production Manager

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

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published digitally twice per month January – April and September – December; once per month June, July and August. Mississippi Catholic mails 14 editions per year – twice per month in December and January; and once per month February – November. For address changes, corrections or to join the email list for the digital edition, email: editor@jacksondiocese.org. Subscription rate: $20 a year in Mississippi, $21 out-of-state. Periodical postage at Jackson, MS 39201 and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mississippi Catholic, P.O. Box 2130, Jackson, MS 39225-2130.

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

Lubich offers this vision and hope: “Jesus forsaken is the most greatly pruned, whom neither heaven nor earth seemed to want … Because he had been uprooted from both earth and heaven, he brought into unity those who were cut off, those who were uprooted from God.”

Therefore, he and he alone is the way to reach beyond the barriers of hatred and violence toward the unity for which he prayed at the Last Supper, “that all may be one.” (John 17:22)

Again, from the wisdom of Lubich and the Focolare Movement we read: “This is everything, to love as he loved us, to the extent of his experiencing for our sake the sensation of being forsaken by his Father. Through Jesus, in fact, we gain by losing, we live by dying. The grain of wheat has to die in order to produce the ear of grain; we need to be pruned in order to bear good fruit. This is Jesus’ law, his paradox. The Holy Spirit is making us understand that in order to bring about Jesus’ prayer ‘may they all be one’ it is necessary to welcome Jesus forsaken in our disunity. Jesus forsaken is the road, the key, the secret.”

These are words of wisdom for us during Holy Week in the line of St. Paul. The Holy Spirit has inspired many in the Synodal and Reimagining processes in our diocese to address the need for greater healing and unity in our communities of faith.

The Holy Spirit is guiding us during Holy Week to look to Christ crucified and forsaken as the power and wisdom of God in whom all things are possible. The Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead and who dwells within us through faith and baptism, will inspire to proclaim Alleluia on Easter Sunday because he is risen. But before we arrive at the empty tomb let the crucified and forsaken Lord wash us clean in his blood.

BISHOP’S SCHEDULE

Monday, March 25, 6:30 a.m. – Mass and Men’s Prayer Breakfast, St. Richard, Jackson

Monday, March 25, 6 p.m. – Penance Service, St. Paul, Flowood

Tuesday, March 26, 10:30 a.m. – Chrism Mass, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Wednesday, March 27, 5:30 p.m. – Adoration and Reconciliation, St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale

Thursday, March 28, 5:15 p.m. – Mass/Holy Thursday, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Friday, March 29, 6 p.m. – Good Friday Service, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Saturday, March 30, 8 p.m. – Easter Vigil Mass, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson

Wednesday, April 3, 6 p.m. – Confirmation, Holy Savior, Clinton

Saturday, April 6, 11 a.m. – Confirmation, St. Anne, Carthage

Saturday, April 6, 6 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale

Sunday, April 7, 1 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Therese, Jackson

Wednesday, April 10, 6 p.m. – Confirmation for Sacred Heart and St. Joseph parishes, Sacred Heart, Greenville

Sunday, April 14, 9 a.m. – Confirmation, Our Lady of Victories, Cleveland

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

4 VOCATIONS

Father Nick Adam

CALLED BY NAME

It can be easy to focus on priestly ordination as the one and only milestone that our seminarians need to clear, but this ‘onetrack’ attitude is not good for our men who are in formation. For one thing, ordination is not the goal of seminary, formation is.

As I state here often, about fifty percent of the men who enter the seminary do not end up getting ordained. For the vast majority of them, this is a decision that has been come to in peace and joy and they look forward to the next chapter of their life with a greater clarity – they know they are not called to priesthood.

But when we only focus on ordination we can give men the impression that in order to go to seminary they must be sure they are going to make it to priesthood; or in order for seminary to be a success they need to make it ordination. But honestly, the men that are sure they’ll be ordained from the start are sometimes not the best candidates for priesthood.

The best candidates are men who realize that the Lord’s will is the top priority, and they don’t assume that they are called to be priests, rather, they enter into formation with openness and eagerness and then they see what happens.

I am happy to report that all of our seminarians are very clear on this expectation. They are allowing the process of formation to unfold, and while I think each one of them could make an excellent priest, I know that the Lord may call them to something else, and I

By Laura Grisham

MARCH 22, 2024

have to be prepared to accompany them to make that step if need be.

One way we can support our men in this balanced approach to formation is to celebrate the major steps along the road to ordination. We may not make as big a deal about them as ordination, but I assure you that they mean a great deal to the men who are doing the hard work of priestly formation.

This spring we will celebrate with Grayson Foley and EJ Martin as they graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from their respective seminaries. This is a big occasion for these men who are completing the ‘discipleship stage’ of formation, where they are learning to be a student of Jesus Christ, and they are about to move to the ‘configurative stage,’ where they will be formed after the image of Christ the Priest.

Grayson is one of our ‘longest tenured’ seminarians, he spent four years earning this degree, while EJ put in two very challenging academic years since he entered seminary already holding a bachelor’s degree. EJ and Grayson will also celebrate a big milestone on May 17, when they are admitted to Candidacy for Holy Orders. This is the point in formation when seminarians proclaim before their bishop that they are ready to be public representatives of the church and they’ll start wearing the roman collar. This does not guarantee ordination, but it is a very important step for these men.

Please keep them in your prayers and congratulate them if you see them around the diocese!

– Father Nick Adam, vocation director

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

Christ the King celebrates 20 years on Church Road

SOUTHAVEN – Bishop Joseph Kopacz was the main celebrant at a Mass on Saturday, Feb. 23, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the dedication of Christ the King Church in Southaven.

Speaking to those gathered, Father Ardianto Hendrik, SCJ (“Father Ardi”) expressed gratitude to the attendees and leaders of the church for their presence and guidance. He acknowledged the wisdom, compassion and education of the pastoral staff and thanked them for their inspiration.

Father Ardi also thanked the members of the church, both past and present, for their faith and steadfastness, which formed the foundation of the church family. Additionally, he extended a special thank you to the team behind the 20th anniversary celebration for their hard work and attention to detail.

“As we reflect on the past 20 years and look forward to the future, let us continue to walk together in faith, in unity and love. We’ll walk road of life together, day by day, with love our hearts every step of the way.”

The parish itself began as a mission of Sacred Heart Church in Walls; about 20 families gathered in a car auction barn every week for Mass. The first church was built on State Line Road in Southaven and the mission grew into a parish.

Twenty years ago, the original church was replaced with the present structure to accommodate the nearly 2,000 families that now make up the parish. Mass and other services are offered in both Spanish and English.

(Laura Grisham is the PR and Communications manager for Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Walls, Mississippi)

SOUTHAVEN – Bishop Kopacz and the priests of the Sacred Heart celebrate Mass for the 20th anniversary of the dedication of Christ the King Church on Church Road on Saturday, Feb. 23. From a humble beginning in a car auction barn where 20 families met for Mass, the parish has grown to nearly 2,000 families that now celebrate Mass at the current church structure. (Photo by Laura Grisham)

Forever ahead of our souls

EXILE

By Father ron rolheiser, oMi

Sometimes there’s nothing as helpful as a good metaphor.

In his book, The God Instinct, Tom Stella shares this story: A number of men who made their living as porters were hired one day to carry a huge load of supplies for a group on safari. Their loads were unusually heavy and the trek through the jungle was rough. Several days into the journey they stopped, unshouldered their loads and refused to go on. No pleas, bribes or threats, worked in terms of persuading them to go on. Asked why they couldn’t continue, they answered: “We can’t go on; we have to wait for our souls to catch up with us.”

That also happens to us in life, except mostly we never wait for our souls to catch up. We continue without them, sometimes for years. What this means is that we struggle to be in the present moment, to be inside our own skin, to be aware of the richness of our own experience. Too often our experiences aren’t very soulful because we aren’t present to them. I cite myself as an example:

For the past twenty-five years, I’ve kept a journal, a diary of sorts. My intent in keeping this journal is to record the deeper things that I’m aware of throughout each day; but mostly what I end up actually writing down is a simple chronology of my day, a daybook, a bare, no-frills, recounting of what I did from hour to hour. My diaries don’t much resemble Anne Frank’s diary, Dag Hammarskjold’s Markings or Henri Nouwen’s Genesee Diary. My journals resemble more what you might get from a schoolboy describing his day at school, a simple chronology of what happened. Yet when I go back some years later and read an account of what I did on a given day, I’m always amazed at how rich and full my life was on that day, except that I wasn’t much aware of it at the time. While actually living through those days, mostly I was struggling to get my work done, to stay on top of things, to meet expectations, to carve out some moments of friendship and recreation amid the pressures of the day, and to get to bed at a reasonable hour. There wasn’t a lot of soul there, just routine, work and hurry.

I suspect that this is not atypical. Most of us live most of our days not very aware of how rich our lives are, forever leaving our souls behind. For example, many is the woman who gives ten to fifteen years of her life to bearing and raising children, with all that entails, tending constantly to someone else’s needs, getting up at night to nurse a child, spending 24 hours a day on constant alert, sacrificing all leisure time, and putting a career and personal creativity on hold. And yet often that same woman, later on looks back on those years and wishes she could relive them – but now, in a more soulful way, more consciously aware of how privileged it was to do precisely those things she did within so much tedium and tiredness. Years later, looking back, she sees how rich and precious her experience was and how because of the burden and stress how little her soul was present then to what she was experiencing.

This can be multiplied with a thousand examples. We’ve all read accounts wherein someone shares what he or she would do differently if he or she had life to live over again. Mostly these stories rework the same motif. Given another chance, I would try to enjoy it more, that is, I would try to keep my soul more present and more aware.

For most of us, I fear, our souls will only catch up with us when, finally, we are in retirement, with

diminished health, diminished energy, and no opportunity to work. It seems we need to first lose something before we fully appreciate it. We tend to take life, health, energy and work for granted, until they are taken away from us. Only after the fact do we realize how rich our lives have been and how little of those riches we drank in at the time.

Our souls eventually do catch up with us, but it would be good if we didn’t wait until we were in assisted living for this to happen. Like the porters who dropped their loads and stopped, we need to stop and wait for our souls to catch up.

Early on in his priesthood, when Pope Francis was

The Pope’s Corner

principal of a school, he would at a certain point each day have the public address system cut in and interrupt the work that was going on in each classroom with this announcement: Be grateful. Set your horizon. Take stock of your day.

We all need, regularly, to lay down our burdens for a minute so our souls can catch up with us.

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

Jesus wants all people to be saved, pope says at Angelus

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christians should pray for the grace to look at others with the same mercy and care with which Jesus looks at them, Pope Francis said.

“No one is perfect. We are all sinners, we all make mistakes, and if the Lord were to use his knowledge of our weaknesses to condemn us, no one could be saved,” the pope said March 10 before reciting the Angelus prayer with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Commenting on the day’s Gospel reading, Jn 3:1421, Pope Francis focused on the line: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

When Jesus encounters people in the Gospel, the pope said, he sees all that they are. “There are no secrets before him. He reads their hearts.”

Then and now, Jesus sees the whole person, not “to point the finger at us, but to embrace our life, to free us from sins and to save us,” he said. “Jesus is not interested in putting us on trial or subjecting us to judgment. He wants none of us to be lost.”

“The Lord’s gaze upon every one of us is not a blinding beacon that dazzles us and puts us in difficulty,” he said, “but rather the gentle glimmer of a friendly lamp that helps us to see the good in ourselves and to be aware of the evil so that we may be converted and healed with the support of his grace.”

However, Pope Francis said, people often do not treat others with the same kind of care.

Think about how “very often we condemn others,” he said. “Many times, we like to speak badly, to go in search of gossip against others. Let us ask the Lord to give us, all of us, this merciful gaze, to look at others as he looks at us.”

After reciting the Angelus, Pope Francis mentioned the March 8 celebration of International Women’s Day.

“I would like to address a thought and to express my closeness to all women, especially those whose dignity is not respected,” he said. “There is still a lot of work that each one of us must do for the equal dignity of women to be genuinely recognized. Institutions, social and political, have the fundamental duty to protect and promote the dignity of every human being, offering to women, the bearers of life, the necessary conditions to be able to welcome the gift of life and assure their children of a worthy existence.”

Pope Francis also called attention to “the grave crisis afflicting Haiti,” with kidnappings, looting and violence.

“I am close to the church and to the dear Haitian population, which has been plagued by many sufferings for years,” he said, asking people to pray that through the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help “every sort of violence may cease and that everyone may offer their contribution to the growth of peace and reconciliation in the country with the renewed support of the international community.”

Pope Francis greets visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the recitation of the Angelus prayer at the Vatican March 10, 2024. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

6 DIOCESE

'

... pilgrimage is a holy journey ...'

– Continued from page 1 –

Unable to enter the area, which has a locked gate, she and other sisters threw flowers over the fence that landed near the bricks marked "John Doe" that serve as tombstones for the unknown. They prayed for those buried there, some who drowned or died of exposure. They also prayed for the families who may never know what happened to their loved ones.

Sister Phyllis Sellner, of the Sisters of St. Francis of Rochester, Minnesota, said she couldn't help but think of the Holy Family as she looked at the cold landscape of another pilgrimage stop, an abandoned camp near Jacumba Hot Springs, an unincorporated community south of San Diego.

The spot, until recently, served as an unofficial outdoor detention site for migrants turning themselves in to border authorities. Volunteers had been taking water, food and other necessities to those at the desolate spot in the wilderness after crossing the nearby border to the U.S. side.

Some sisters in the group prayed, others looked inside the tents and at the objects left behind: wet sleeping bags, shoes, a small cooking pot with a large piece of wood that looked as if it had been used to stir food.

"It was very disheartening for me. I kept thinking about Mary and Joseph traveling over the rocks and the desert, probably meeting with people who didn't want them there. It came flooding over in my mind," Sister Phyllis said in a reflection at the end of the pilgrimage.

But sisters also shared smiles, candy and helped crack open Valentine's-Day-themed piñatas with children and adults at the Cobina Posada del Migrante shelter in Mexicali, Mexico, Feb. 8. In return, the women at the shelter made pozole, a popular Mexican soup of hominy, to share with the sisters.

Still, the enormity of the humanitarian plight was never far behind. During the celebration, a Honduran woman, whose husband, a diabetic, was facing renal failure, entered the shelter with a wound on the man's leg.

Sister Clara reflected the following day that it was hard to see the difficulties those they came into contact with found themselves in, including many fleeing "a violence that no one can stop," such as corruption and other ailments.

"Life could be good for most of these people" if governments made an effort to solve problems, she said, and it was sad that "the only answer they (migrants) can

MARCH 22, 2024 MISSISSIPPI

think of is 'Let's go to the United States,'" because they see no solutions at home.

Sister Anne Carrabino, a member of the Sisters of Social Service, said she thought of how U.S. Cold War policy and its past interference in Latin America had much to do with creating "push factors" that have led people to leave their native countries. And yet leaving homelands in turbulence isn't always the cure-all, given the difficulties and sometimes hostility that people on the move encounter even if they're successful entering a more stable country – legally or otherwise.

"I was thinking, they have no idea what awaits them," she said.

For Sister Mary Grace Ramos, the week's visits and stops presented a "rewind" of her life, as she remembered how her mother had left the family home in the Philippines to find work in Hong Kong and later Canada. It was the only way to provide her and her siblings with an education, said the Sister of St. Joseph of Orange, California.

"It's not just here that it's happening," Sister Mary Grace said, struggling to contain tears. "It happens in Asia. ... All of this struggle ... it's happening all around the world."

Sister Catherine Murray, of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, California, said that, in the good and difficult things they encountered, "pilgrimage is a holy journey."

"The attitude with which I come is, this is not a tour," said Sister Catherine, chairperson for Region 14 of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Like Carrabino, she said it was important to share the pilgrimage experience with other communities and discern what steps to take going forward.

In the middle of the border journey, on Feb. 7, Republicans in the Senate rejected a rare bipartisan bill on immigration, which the sisters had been paying attention to. Regardless of what happens – or doesn't – in Congress, the sisters seemed to be buoyed by their experience.

"We need to tell the story, we need services, we need everything," Sister Anne said. "We've got ideas and energy."

Sister Mary Waskowiak told GSR that the happenings at the border are increasingly becoming of interest to communities of women religious.

"I know a lot of women religious feel this is a new calling," she told GSR. "Before, it was teaching. Now, it's the border. This is the time."

(Rhina Guidos is the Latin America regional correspondent for Global Sisters Report.)

' ... so excited for the look of love from the Eucharist ...'

– Continued from page 1 –

of walking pilgrimages, he said. Last year, he participated in a two-day walking pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Altötting with about 4,000 people, where pilgrims sang hymns and prayed the rosary along the way.

"That really communal aspect is so beautiful about professions and pilgrimages – that they bring us together as a church, and that since they're also public, they can also bring in other people," Weiss said. "It's a wonderful way of expressing our faith and our joy."

The National Eucharistic Pilgrimage and National Eucharistic Congress are major parts of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative launched in 2022 by the U.S. bishops to inspire a deeper love and reverence for Jesus in the Eucharist. The pilgrimage is modeled on the Gospel account of Jesus' journey with two disciples to Emmaus after his resurrection.

In October, the National Eucharistic Congress issued a call for perpetual pilgrims and received more than 100 applications. Criteria included being a baptized and practicing Catholic between the ages of 19-29, be in good physical condition and capable of walking long distances, and be committed to upholding church teachings. Backgrounds in ministry, service, leadership and pilgrimage experience were of special interest, according to organizers.

The perpetual pilgrims were chosen after multiple rounds of interviews and follow-up screenings, organizers said in a March 11 media release announcing the pilgrims.

Most of the pilgrims are graduate or undergraduate students, and some work for mission-oriented apostolates and nonprofits. "A common thread for all was a profound encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist that they were inspired to share with others," according to the media statement.

Organized by Modern Catholic Pilgrim, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that promotes U.S. walking pilgrimages and biblical hospitality, the pilgrimage routes

include stops at sacred landmarks including saints' shrines and diocesan cathedrals.

“I am humbled by the commitment demonstrated by those selected to serve as Perpetual Pilgrims this summer,” said Will Peterson, Modern Catholic Pilgrim's founder and president, in a media statement. “Their excitement at serving as stewards of this unprecedented National Eucharistic Pilgrimage shook the walls at our kickoff retreat. I cannot wait for the rest of the U.S. Catholic Church to walk with our Eucharistic Lord alongside these amazing individuals.”

Each day will include Mass, a small Eucharistic procession and 10-15 miles of travel. Along the way, parishes are planning to host Eucharistic devotions such as adoration, praise and worship, and lectures. Parishes, religious orders, schools, shrines and retreat centers will offer the pilgrims hospitality and offer fellowship and meals.

A support vehicle will accompany the pilgrims and transport them through legs of the journey where "safety, terrain, and/or climate may present obstacles," according to the media statement.

The pilgrimage routes are named for key saints for North America: the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route from the east, the St. Juan Diego Route from the south, the St. Junipero Serra Route from the west, and the Marian Route from the north, which includes a stop in Wisconsin at the Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, the only approved Marian apparition site in the United States.

Weiss is traveling the Marian Route with fellow perpetual pilgrims Sarah Cahill of Virginia; Matthew Heidenreich of Ohio; Danielle Schmitz of California; Jennifer Torres of Colorado; and Megan Zaleski of Illinois.

With McCullough on the Juan Diego route will be Camille Anigbogu of Texas; Shayla Elm of North Dakota; Issy Martin-Dye of Ohio; Joshua Velasquez of Texas; and MacKenzie Warrens of Missouri.

On the Serra route will be Chima Adiole of Texas;

Chas Firestone East of Virginia; Patrick Fayad of Nebraska; Jack Krebs of Wisconsin; Madison Michel of Minnesota; and Jaella Mac Au of Georgia.

On the Seton route will be Dominic Carstens of Wyoming; Zoe Dongas of New York; Marina Frattaroli of Texas; Natalie Garza of Texas; Amayrani Higueldo of Pennsylvania; and Christopher Onyiuke of Florida.

Along the way, 30 Franciscan Friars of the Renewal will rotate time on the routes as chaplains. In addition, Father Roger Landry, a chaplain at Columbia University in New York, plans to accompany pilgrims on the Seton route.

As McCullough thinks about the people the pilgrims will meet along the way, he reflects on the way Jesus encountered people in the Gospels.

"It was always unique and different because he met them where they were at," said McCullough, a college senior studying mechanical engineering. "I'm just so excited for the look of love from the Eucharist to be extended time and time again to whoever we encounter."

Weiss said he thinks the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage could be a unifying balm in a polarized country.

"It's him (Jesus) who brings us all together; he desires and yearns for all of us," he said.

(Maria Wiering is senior writer for OSV News.)

Charlie McCullough, a National Eucharistic perpetual pilgrim who is a freshman at Texas A&M University in College Station, is pictured in an undated photo. (OSV News photo/courtesy Bonnie Thibault)

Eucharistic Revival’s ‘Invite One Back’ initiative helps parishes reach lapsed Catholics

Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, speaks June 9, 2023 on the Eucharistic Revival, during the Catholic Media Conference in Baltimore. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)

By Lauretta Brown

(OSV News) – What would happen if clergy and parish leaders personally reached out to Catholics who have stopped attending Mass to invite them to come back, telling them they are missed and wanted in the parish community? This is the question and challenge the U.S. bishops are posing as their National Eucharistic Revival initiative focuses on parish efforts this year.

The bishops launched resources in early March as part of the “Invite One Back” initiative, equipping clergy and parish leaders to invite those who have stopped attending Sunday Mass to fill the pews once again.

Many people simply didn’t return to the pews after the COVID-19 pandemic restricted in-person Mass attendance in 2020. One 2022 study from Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate showed a nationwide 7% decline in adult Catholics attending Sunday Mass compared with pre-COVID data.

The revival website notes that in 2020 a “significant portion of Catholics lost connection with their local parish during the shutdowns, and just never came back. It’s time to bring them home.” The website also points to Pew data from 2014, which found that 13% of all U.S. adults are former Catholics.

“The goal of this initiative is to fill the pews again,” the website says. “To do that, we all need to invite back everyone who has left in a way that makes sure they feel seen and desired as an individual member of your parish family. Whom are you called to invite home?”

In his introductory letter to parish leaders, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota, wrote, “Our efforts in evangelization and inviting Catholics back to Mass are not just about increasing numbers or filling pews. Rather, our efforts are about guiding people to intimate encounters with Jesus Christ and leading souls to salvation, allowing them to experience God’s love, mercy, and goodness.”

“It is important to invite these people back because it is a great act of love! It is also one of the simplest and most effective ways to evangelize,” he emphasized. “Love desires to be shared once it is received. The source and summit of the Christian life is participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice, where we encounter the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament.”

The initiative stresses the unique power of invitation, saying that for those who have left parishes, “an invitation reminds them that they belong within our community and that their presence is missing.”

The website encourages clergy and parish leadership to “make a list of parishioners you haven’t seen in a while or people who used to be members of your parish” to immediately begin praying for them and start discerning “how you can best reach each member of that group, and make a plan to contact each one of them in whatever way would be most meaningful.”

When it comes to tools for reaching those who’ve stopped attending Mass, resources include letter and postcard templates as well as scripts for starting phone calls with former parishioners. Creativity and personalization are encouraged in these conversations with the goal of listening to the individual and meeting them where they are.

Prayer also is a central part of the campaign, as the initiative calls for parishes to put a prayer for the campaign in the bulletin as well as for parish groups to dedicate rosaries and Holy Hours for the effort.

“Let us pray earnestly for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and fortitude to carry out this sacred mission,” urged Bishop Cozzens, chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress Inc. “Let us embrace each soul with open arms, rejoicing as they return to the embrace of the Church and our parish communities through the gift of the Eucharist.”

(Lauretta Brown is culture editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @LaurettaBrown6.)

NOTES: Resources for National Eucharistic Revival’s “Invite One Back” initiative can be found in English and Spanish at www.eucharisticrevival.org/invite-oneback.

“Participants also refer others to our programs, which ... is a wonderful testament to their satisfaction and belief in the value our Family Ministry programs have to offer.”

Originating from a meaningful personal experience and being impressed with Engaged Encounter program, Debbie Tubertini has passionately served in various roles over the years in parish ministry, which led her to become coordinator in the Office of Family Ministry in the Diocese of Jackson. Her dedication to Family Ministry extends to Engaged Encounter, World Marriage Day (both in Jackson and Tupelo), and as an advocate to expand services.

Her ministry hosted four Engaged Encounter weekends last year, with 46 couples participating. Couples shared how their relationships were strengthened through the program by opening critical conversations, discovering the importance of spiritual intimacy, while learning what the sacrament of marriage is in the church. According to Tubertini, “Participants also refer others to our programs, which in my opinion is a wonderful testament to their satisfaction and belief in the value our Family Ministry programs have to offer.”

Debbie dreams of more as she envisions expanded services, including scholarships for the Engaged Encounter programs, certification for NFP instructors, Spanish-language Engaged Encounter Weekends, marriage enrichment opportunities, family functions, whole family divorce support, and financial aid for parish initiatives in Family Ministry. Your continued support through the Catholic Service Appeal empowers Debbie to meet the increasing needs of the office of Family Ministry, reach more individuals, and fulfill these visionary goals, fostering resilient Catholic families across the diocese.

Your gift to the Catholic Service Appeal helps Family Ministry efforts throughout the diocese.

You can mail your check to:

Catholic Service Appeal PO Box 22723

Jackson, MS 39225-2273

(Please put your parish name in the memo section of your check)

Donate today at:

Resurrection’s reality rooted in truth of empty tomb

GUEST COLUMN

By carL e. OLSOn

Imagine for a moment that St. Peter, standing before the centurion Cornelius, had said, with a somewhat embarrassed grimace, “Well, it’s my personal opinion that Jesus rose from the dead – whatever that means. But that’s simply my truth –just one possible explanation.”

It sounds ridiculous. But it’s impossible to ignore that such words have often come from the lips of many modern-day Christians. Perhaps they have only a passing knowledge of what Scripture, tradition and history say about the Resurrection. Perhaps they don’t wish to offend those who scoff at such a “simplistic” acceptance of a supernatural event. Or perhaps they really feel different people can have different “truths.”

But Peter’s words were direct and bold. “We are witnesses of all that he did,” he said. “This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance.” Such words are, to many people today, triumphalistic, exclusive and arrogant. But, then, we live in an age in which the only firm belief given a free pass is the belief that faith is not believable. “Faith” is seen as superstitious, based (at best) on feelings and intuitions.

Yet St. Cyril of Jerusalem wrote that when Peter and John ran to the empty tomb they did not “meet Christ risen from the dead, but they infer his resurrection from the bundle of linen clothes” and connected that physical fact to Jesus’ words and the prophecies of Scripture. “When, therefore, they looked at the issues of events in the light of the prophecies that turned out true, their faith was from that time forward rooted on a firm foundation.”

Hans Urs von Balthasar observed that Peter represents the ecclesial office – the papacy – and John symbolizes ecclesial love. Love, not burdened by the cares of the Office, runs faster. “Yet Love yields to Office when it comes to examining the tomb, and Peter thus becomes the first to view the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head and establish that no theft had occurred.” Then Love entered, “and he saw and believed.” This indicated, von Balthasar stated, that “faith in Jesus is justified despite all the opaqueness of the situation.”

By the time Peter preached on Pentecost (Acts 2:14-36) and to the household of Cornelius, the opaqueness had completely dissolved in the light of the Risen Christ. Peter and the apostles were witnesses – and it is important to note that the Greek root word for “witness” and “testimony” (see John 21:24) is “martus,” from which comes “martyr.”

Peter, in particular, had a special role as witness. “If being a Christian essentially means believing in the risen Lord,” Pope Benedict XVI wrote in “Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week,” “then Peter’s special witnessing role is a confirmation of his commission to be the rock on which the Church is built.” This is brought home emphatically in the final chapter of John’s Gospel, where Peter’s place as head apostle was reaffirmed by Jesus and then further affirmed by the promise of martyrdom (Jn 21:15-19).

When it comes to Jesus and the resurrection, the world offers a host of opinions, most of which dismiss and deny the possibility that “this man” was “raised on the third day” by God. But, as St. John Henry Newman pointed out, “No one is a martyr for a conclusion, no one is a martyr for an opinion; it is faith that makes martyrs.”

(Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight.)

March through ordinary time

ON ORDINARY TIMES

By Lucia a. SiLecchia

This past weekend, side by side in the grocery store, lay both bags of salt to pour on icy sidewalks for winter’s last hurrahs and bags of topsoil to spread in flower beds to welcome spring’s first blooms. This juxtaposition perfectly represents the unique place of March in the cycle of the year.

Some say March goes “in like a lion and out like a lamb.” However, seeing March as the season of salt and soil captures its essence as well.

On the one hand, March still remains very much part of winter. Some infamous blizzards have buried cities with snow just as winter-weary residents let down their guard. In a single week, a warm day that beckons the start of spring can be followed by a dip in the temperature that, once again, sets furnaces humming for a week. Light spring jackets and heavy winter coats both wait in our closets. Somehow, it still seems too daring to put away winter boots.

We set our clocks forward and relish the longer nights that seem like summer. Alas, though, our mornings are dark and still tinged with winter chill. Whenever there are a few spring days in a row, we dare to believe that spring is here to stay. Yet, we remain cautiously unsure.

In many ways, March seems like the perfect metaphor for the human condition and for our journeys through this life.

We are so often torn between the shadows of our winters that hold us back and the bright joys of spring for which we hope. We know the temptations, weaknesses and faults that keep us from being who we are meant to be. We also know those things that are good and true toward which we move. Yet, just as March toggles back and forth between winter and

spring, so too can human nature seem to do the same thing.

We rejoice when there are hard won victories over vices and look forward to each new day lived better than the one before. Then, sometimes, just as a string of spring days in March can disappear with a returning gust of winter, so too can come the setbacks in our own lives. We know that each day can bring us closer to God and the good, just as we know each day of March brings us, undeniably, closer to spring, Yet, sometimes, this progress can feel fragile.

In all its frustrating challenges, in all its uncertainties, and in all its tensions between victories won and setbacks endured, life can sometimes seem to be a season that looks suspiciously like a very long March!

This year, though, March is a little different. Whatever its first thirty days may hold, there is something uniquely beautiful about celebrating Easter on the very last day of March. It is joyously comforting to know that the tempestuous days of this unpredictable month will end with the joy of Easter.

When we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, it is the definitive end to the darkness of winter. It is the victory over all those things that pull us

back when we ache to move forward to new life. It is the triumphant celebration of a new life that is no longer temporary and tenuous. It is not a timid warm day in March that can be easily overtaken by a returning gust of winter. It is, instead, a final victory over sin and death.

Through the roller coaster that is March, and through the highs and lows of life, there remains the beautiful hope of Easter joy. It is a hope that sustains and strengthens through our turbulent march through ordinary time.

(Lucia A. Silecchia is Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Research at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. Email her at silecchia@cua.edu.)

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

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

The Association of Priests of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi provide a small pension to our retired priests. As you consider your estate plans, please remember these faithful servants by making a donation or leaving a bequest to the Association of Priests. Our parish priests dedicate their lives to caring for us, their flocks. Let us now care for them in their retirement. Donations can be made payable to the Association of Priests and can be mailed to: Diocese of Jackson, P.O. Box 22723, Jackson, MS 39225-2723

NATION

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Nearly 75 years after he stopped teaching at The Catholic University of America in Washington, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) can still fill a campus auditorium. The occasion was a March 7 screening of “Follow That Bishop!” a half-hour documentary made last year in support of Archbishop Sheen’s sainthood cause and produced by Rome Reports, a TV news agency that covers Pope Francis and the Vatican. Co-directed by Antonio Olivié, CEO of Rome Reports, and Sean Patrick Lovett, director of the news agency’s international department, “Follow That Bishop!” focuses on the oddities of a file the FBI kept on the prelate and a miracle attributed to his intercession that involved the sudden recovery of James Engstrom of Washington, Illinois, who was initially considered stillborn when he was delivered during a planned home birth Sept. 16, 2010. The file begins in 1943 with an anonymous complaint about a speech the then-monsignor made in which he criticized communism and the Soviet Union, then an American ally in World War II. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover concluded that not only was the bishop not prone to sedition, he was instead a powerful and respected ally in the Cold War against communism. He added him to the bureau’s mailing list, and later invited him to a swearing-in of new agents, and even to the annual agent retreat in Maryland.

BALTIMORE (OSV News) – A special “baptism-ina-day” celebration in the Archdiocese of Baltimore earlier this year welcomed unbaptized children into the faith. Twenty children ranging in age from approximately 1 to 6 were baptized. Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori came up with the idea for the event, a first-of-its-kind liturgy inspired by a priest friend in Connecticut who has had success with similar group baptisms in the Diocese of Bridgeport. The event at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen was designed to be welcoming to families that had not had their children baptized for varying reasons. It included sacramental preparation, lunch, an invitation to become involved in parish life at the cathedral and the conferral of baptism during the 5 p.m. Mass. The cathedral made godparents available for those families that needed them. Stacy Golden, director of the Office of Family, Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the archdiocesan Institute for Evangelization, noted that the number of families receiving baptism and other sacraments has declined steadily in the archdiocese over recent decades – even

prior to the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, there were more than 1.2 million infant baptisms in 1965 in the United States. That number declined to just over 996,000 in 2000 and to 437,942 in 2022 – even as the general population grew.

VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The saints are not unreachable “exceptions of humanity” but ordinary people who worked diligently to grow in virtue, Pope Francis said. It is wrong to think of the saints as “a kind of small circle of champions who live beyond the limits of our species,” the pope wrote in the catechesis for his general audience March 13 in St. Peter’s Square. Instead, they are “those who fully become themselves, who realize the vocation of every person.” Just like at his general audience March 6, Pope Francis told visitors in the square that due to a mild cold an aide, Msgr. Pierluigi Giroli, would read his speech. Continuing his series of catechesis on virtues and vices, the pope wrote that a virtuous person is not one who allows him- or herself to become distorted but “is faithful to his or her own vocation and fully realizes his or herself.” Reflecting on the nature of virtue, which has been discussed and analyzed since ancient times, the pope said that “virtue is a ‘habitus’ (expression) of freedom.” He added, “If we are free in every act, and each time we are called to choose between good and evil, virtue is that which allows us to have a habit toward the right choice.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis has decided that some of the most controversial issues raised at the first assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality will be examined by study groups that will work beyond the synod’s final assembly in October. The possible revision of guidelines for the training of priests and deacons, “the role of women in the church and their participation in decision-making/taking processes and community leadership,” a possible revision of the way bishops are chosen and a revision of norms for the relationship between bishops and the religious orders working in their dioceses all will be the subject of study groups. That Pope Francis did not wait until the end of the second assembly to convoke the study groups, “shows that he has a heart that listens; he listened and is acting,” Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, told reporters March 14. Pope Francis approved the 10 groups and their topics; he asked the groups, coordinated by different offices of the Roman Curia, to make a preliminary report to the synod’s second assem-

bly in October and to give him a final report on their work by June 2025.

WORLD

KURIGA, Nigeria (OSV News) – Recent kidnappings of hundreds of people in Nigeria, including almost 300 schoolchildren March 7 in Kuriga in central part of the country, have left church leaders and parents, including Catholics, speechless in the face of another wave of senseless violence. As kidnappings become a horrific new normal in Nigeria, church leaders have strongly urged the government to act. In broad daylight gunmen raided a government primary school and kidnapped at least 287 pupils in the biggest mass abduction from a school in a decade. The incident is the second mass kidnapping in the West African nation of more than 200 million in less than a week. “This is heartbreaking to all of us, and it’s now time for the authorities to act fast to stop the killings and abductions,” lamented Emmanuel Ayeni Nwogu, catechist from the Archdiocese of Kaduna, where the March 7 abduction happened. “We continue to pray for the children who have been kidnapped, and we hope they are still alive and under the mighty hand of God.” Africa’s most populous nation has faced an array of security challenges since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its Islamic uprising to overthrow Nigeria’s secular government and create an Islamic state. The primary target of the militants are Christians, although the terror groups target government schools as well as they lack fighters and abduct boys for military purposes.

JERUSALEM (OSV News) – A bishop in Jerusalem appealed for Christians to start returning to the Holy Land on pilgrimage to visit holy places located within Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, made the comments after Israel’s tourism minister appealed to Christian leaders during a visit to the U.S. to recommence pilgrimages “to strengthen yourselves and to strengthen us.” Bishop Shomali also said he is hopeful church leaders in the Holy Land will issue an invitation for Christian pilgrims to return. Tens of thousands of Christian pilgrims had to leave the Holy Land on emergency flights following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of the attacks, and Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza, many airlines canceled flights to Tel Aviv. The absence of pilgrims has had a dramatic effect on the region’s tiny Christian minority in particular, given that many Christians have job working with pilgrims. Bishop Shomali said, “There are difficulties because of security, but still Jericho and Bethlehem can be visited.” Encouraging people to visit Palestinian Territories is crucial today so that those barred from entering Israel can still make money to support their families. Sources close to the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need said conditions for the small Christian community that remains in the Gaza Strip have deteriorated over the last four months.

MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC MARCH 22, 2024

This image is part of the promotional material for “Follow That Bishop,” a 28-minute documentary reporting on the FBI file kept on Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. (OSV News photo/courtesy Rome Reports)

Distinct Biloxi church reminds us to ‘keep an eye on the Gulf’

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Mary WoodWard

JACKSON – This past week several chancery staffers, including myself, attended a regional conference in Biloxi for the Diocesan Fiscal Managers of several dioceses and archdioceses in the southeast. The opening Mass on Sunday evening was celebrated in St. Michael Church by the two host bishops, Bishop Louis Kihneman of Biloxi and our own Bishop Joseph Kopacz.

Established by Bishop John Gunn and known as the “church of the fishermen,” St. Michael dates back to 1917. Being just a stone’s throw from the Gulf of Mexico, it has been buffeted by several hurricanes. As our group approached the church with its distinctive shell roof and round shape, images of that roof from the helicopter flyover on the news the morning of Aug. 30, 2005, filled my mind.

From the air the church looked intact, as if it had miraculously survived unscathed from the 28-foot storm surge of Hurricane Katrina the day before. But as the days went by and reports came into the chancery in Jackson from Biloxi, we learned the church interior was decimated. That distinctive roof seen from above was hiding the massive power of Mother Nature gone wild.

The five-ton marble altar was cast to the side off its platform and much of the interior appointments had been swept away by the surge leaving an almost empty shell behind. The waterline was well up the interior walls of the church.

Now more than 18 years later, St. Michael stands as a testament to the resilience of the people of the Gulf Coast, who have survived more than one catastrophic storm over the past 100 years. Memories of Aug. 29, 2005, still linger in the physical landscape of the Gulf Coast, which took the direct hit of Katrina. These memories also are carried in the collective psyche of those who endured the wrath and persevered in rebuilding a vibrant community.

Moving forward in faith as intentional disciples while always keeping an eye on the Gulf.

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

Church leaders from the U.S. and the Vatican look over the destruction inside St. Michael Church in Biloxi, Miss., Sept. 12, 2005. From left are Bishop Thomas J. Rodi of Biloxi; and Archbishop Paul Cordes, the Vatican’s top humanitarian aid official. Officials toured areas struck by Hurricane Katrina Aug. 29. (CNS photo by Bob Roller)

Religious statues lie on the floor of St. Michael Church in Biloxi, Miss., March 1, 2006. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

Pictured is St. Michael Church Biloxi in December of 1963. The church features a distincitive shell roof and round shape.

DCYC 2024 – Vicksburg

Andrew Doherty of St. Richard Jackson receives a handshake from Bishop Joseph Kopacz during the annual Bishop Chanche Youth Awards at DCYC. (Photo by Kristen Doherty)

VICKSBURG – High-school youth from across the Diocese of Jackson gathered at the Vicksburg Convention Complex from March 1-3, for the annual diocesan youth conference – DCYC – organized by the Office of Youth Ministry. This year's theme was "More Than Enough," and it featured keynote presenter Doug Tooke and worship leader, Steven Joubert. (Photos by Amelia Rizor)

Andrew Doherty, Anna Williams and Madalyn Weisenberger, all of St. Joseph School in Madison, pose for a photo with Bishop Joseph Kopacz with their newly bestowed Bishop Chanche Youth Awards. (Photo by Kristen Doherty)

Why the 'Passion'? What's Tenebrae? And why does Easter's date change?

By Lorene HanLey Duquin (OSV News) –

Sometimes the words we use in Holy Week and Easter feel so familiar we don't consider their origins. Same for the date of Easter, which changes from year to year. The following is a quick FAQ guide to Catholics' Holy Week vocabulary and key history.

Q. Why do we use the word "Passion" to describe the suffering of Jesus?

A. The word "Passion" comes from the Latin word for suffering. When referring to the events leading up to the death of Jesus, we often capitalize the word "Passion" to differentiate from the modern meaning of the word with its romantic overtones.

Q. Why do some parishes cover the cross and statues during Holy Week?

A. Before 1970 it was customary to cover crosses and statues during the last two weeks of Lent. After 1970, the practice was left up to the discretion of each diocese. In 1995, the U.S. bishops' liturgy committee gave individual parishes permission to reinstate the practice on their own.

Q. What is Tenebrae?

A. The word "tenebrae" comes from the Latin word meaning "shadows" or "darkness." It was originally the name given to somber parts of the Liturgy of the Hours that are chanted in monasteries on the last three days of Holy Week. The tone of the prayers is filled with sorrow and desolation. At various points during a Tenebrae service, candles are extinguished and there is a cacophony of noise, which evokes feelings of betrayal, abandonment, pain, sadness, and darkness associated with the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Parishes sometimes offer Tenebrae services during Holy Week.

Q. Why do we call it "Good Friday"?

A. In the English language the term "Good Friday" probably evolved from "God's Friday" in the same way that "goodbye" evolved from "God be with you."

Q. What is Pascha?

A. The word "Pascha," or "Pasch," comes from the Greek word for the Passover. The early Christians used the word to describe the resurrection of Jesus as the Christian Passover. Today, we sometimes refer to the death and resurrection of Jesus as the Paschal Mystery, which is derived from the word Pasch. Orthodox Christians still use the word Pascha when referring to Easter.

Q. Who decides the date of Easter?

A. In 325, the Council of Nicaea decreed that Easter would be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. It can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.

(Lorene Hanley Duquin is a Catholic author and lecturer who has worked in parishes and on a diocesan level.)

Mary and St. John stand at the foot of cross in this depiction of Christ's crucifixion at Holy Family Church in Ramallah, West Bank. (OSV News photo/Debbie Hill)