mississippicatholic.com
MAY 19, 2023
St. Vincent de Paul conferences form helping hands for Rolling Fork By Joe Lee
of sorts for SVDP, telling them what we were seeing on the JACKSON – Donovan Guilground.” beau, who installs power lines Robinson, a member of for Southern Electric CorporaChrist the King Parish, said that tion and has seen many destrucall five SVDP conferences in the tive tornadoes and hurricanes Jackson council eagerly came over four decades, said the EF-4 together: food and clothing was storm that ravaged the Missisdelivered from the Greenville sippi communities of Rolling conference, and financial assisFork and Silver City on March tance from the Columbus con24 caused the worst damage he’s ference was provided to St. Helever seen. en’s Catholic Church in Amory “This reminded me of the to support nine families that sufNagasaki bomb going off in fered tornado damage the same World War II. It took my breath weekend as the Rolling Fork away,” said Guilbeau, a St. Richstorm hit. ard parishioner is a long-time “I ordered 875 hygiene kits member of the St. Richard of from Disaster Services CorporaChichester Conference of the St. tion, which is the SVDP service Vincent de Paul Society (SVDP), arm,” Robinson said. “SVDP a national organization dedicatdeployed case workers for a peed to feeding, clothing, and healriod of two weeks and began asing individuals and families in sisting residents of Rolling Fork their time of need. “The damage and Silver City. and 26 lives lost were in a very “The St. Richard conference concentrated area, and I knew donated $10,000 toward the relief we had to do something.” efforts, which made it possible Guilbeau has business asfor us to serve one hot meal a day sociates who own property in to 500-700 people for those two the Rolling Fork area, and his wife has family nearby. In try- ROLLING FORK – St. Vincent de Paul conferences across the diocese work to serve the weeks. We also received a Rapid ing to assess what he could do to people of Rolling Fork after devastating tornado struck the community on March 24. (Photo Response Grant from SVDP for $5,000, and a $5,000 grant from help, he turned to the St. Rich- courtesy of Carol Evans) Isagenix Foundation.” ard of Chichester Conference, The grant money has gone toone of five SVDP conferences in tive for Rolling Fork and Silver City,” Guilbeau said. ward Walmart gift cards, which the District Council of the Diocese of Jackson (the others are St. Martin de Porres “Once the site was secured by the local police and the have been handed out to storm victims in amounts of at Christ the King, St. Therese Conference, St. Joseph fire department, Tommy Jordan, a fellow St. Richard $25 and $50 to purchase food, clothing and other basic Conference at St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Greenville conference member, and I invited Carrie Robinson, needs. But Dianne Clark, the Southeastern U.S. Disasand St. Elizabeth of Hungary at Annunciation Parish president of the District of Jackson Council, to go with ter Rep for SVDP, said that one of the best things volunus. in Columbus). “In this case, the news media did not blow the de“I’m the St. Richard conference’s field representa– Continued on page 6 – struction out of proportion. I became a news reporter
Diocese announces “Pastoral Reimagining” process By Joanna Puddister King
tions,” said Bishop Kopacz. There will be four stages of the pastoral reimagining process over the course of JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson has a new initiative that will focus on renewing and reimagining parishes across the diocese. The one-year “Pastoral Reimagin- the year, running from Pentecost this year to Pentecost 2024. The first stage will run from Pentecost through August 2023, with each pastor ing” process, that will begin on Pentecost Sunday, will focus on parishes and missions across the diocese taking a more direct and intentional look at the reality of – Continued on page 6 – their communities in the spirit of the Synod of Synodality in the aftermath of the pandemic. “We are allowing the Holy Spirit to bless and guide INSIDE THIS WEEK us in our willingness to cooperate with God’s grace in a spirit of renewal,” writes Bishop Joseph Kopacz in his column for Mississippi Catholic on the reimagining process. The theme from the process is from Ephesians, “There is one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism and one God and Father of all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6) Thinking about the Synod process undertaken in the diocese and throughout the world, Bishop Kopacz noted that the church is at a crossroads locally and globally. With that, an extensive demographic review Anniversary list 4 Sr. Thea connection 16 From the archives 9 of the diocese will be a part of the “Pastoral ReimaginMany clergy celebrate ordiSr. Thea supporter BelafonExplore glimpse of bishop ing” process. nation anniversaries te dies at 96 “Without a doubt [it] will enrich the local conversaordinations