MAY 13, 2022
mississippicatholic.com
Leaked draft of Supreme Court opinion indicates overturn of Roe decision BY CAROL ZIMMERMANN
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court appears set to overturn its Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion for nearly 50 years, according to a leaked initial draft of a court opinion obtained by Politico and published online the evening of May 2. Just minutes after the leak was published, reactions were fast and furious on social media, and barricades were erected around the Supreme Court. Many people gathered at the court in protest and some, including students from The Catholic University of America, were there to pray the rosary. The draft opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, said Roe "was egregiously wrong from the start" and that "Roe and Casey must be overruled." Casey v. Planned Parenthood is the 1992 decision that affirmed Roe. Alito's opinion said the court's 1973 Roe decision had exceptionally weak reasoning "and the decision has had damaging consequences.
Lights burn inside U.S. Supreme Court offices in Washington May 2, 2022, after the leak of a draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito preparing for a majority of the court to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision later this year. (CNS photo/Jonathan Ernst, Reuters)
And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division," he wrote. He also said abortion policies should be determined on the state level. Politico's report says Alito's opinion is supported by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett and that Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan were working on dissents. It was not clear how Chief Justice John Roberts planned to vote. The 98-page draft, which includes a 31-page appendix of historical state abortion laws, is an opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization – a case about Mississippi's ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with the potential to also overturn Roe. The fact that the opinion was leaked also caused significant reaction, because this is unprecedented in the court's recent history, espe-
Leap of faith fuels diving adventure BY JOE LEE
MADISON – Former President George H. W. Bush might be the first person that comes to mind when one thinks of skydiving late in life. Our country’s 41st president, Bush passed away in 2018 at the age of 94. A Navy pilot during World War II, he jumped from an airplane in 1999 to commemorate his 75th birthday. He enjoyed the experience so much he did so again on birthdays in 2004, 2009 and, remarkably, in 2014 – at the ripe old age of 90. “It’s vintage George Bush,” said spokesman Jim McGrath to Fox News after Bush’s skydive in 2014. “It’s that passion for life. It’s wanting to set a goal, wanting to achieve it. I’m sure part of it is sending a message to others that even in your retirement years you can still find challenges.” Adventures in parasailing Lois Booth didn’t make the national news after her skydive last Thanksgiving. Neither did Rita Martinson, her neighbor at St. Catherine’s Village in Madison. But the motivations for both – and their shared sense of accomplishment afterward – were comparable to those of our nation’s late Skydiver-in-Chief. “My identical twin sister and I went to Orange Beach, Alabama, two years ago and parasailed. I loved it and she did, too,” said Booth, who grew up in Drew, Mississippi, became Catholic a year ago, and is a parishioner at Sacred Heart Church in Canton. “The exhilaration I felt as we lifted off the back of that boat had me squealing like a teenager,” she continued. “I think we were 3,000-4,000 feet up. We were in the air about five minutes. There INSIDE THIS WEEK were six of us on the boat. You go off the back of the boat, and land on the back of the boat. I learned from parasailing how to land while skydiving.” She also began thinking about skydiving for the first time that day. Fascinated with flying Rita Martinson, who served District 58 in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1992-2016, is a long-time parishioner at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Madison. A native of Gloster, Mississippi, she thinks she From the archives has adventure in her blood. Jesus had an MRI? “If you’d been raised in a little town like Gloster, you’d have it in yours, too,” she said of her formative years. “We
lived in our imaginations.” Always fascinated with flying, Martinson received her fixed-wing pilot license in 1965 and became certified to fly glider aircraft several years later. The move to parasailing probably wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knew Martinson and her late husband, Billy, who encouraged her and went along on her flights. “Every chance I got, I flew,” Martinson said. “I was fascinated with hot-air balloon rides and rode in them. The next thing was to jump out of a plane. Billy and I joined several flying clubs. One At age 83, Lois Booth of Sacred Heart Canton fulfilled her bucket-list item to skydive. was a Cessna club.” In learning about flying a glid- She is pictured here with her grandchildren after her skydive over Thanksgiving in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo courtesy of – Continued on page 6 – Lois Booth)
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Service Appeal 17 Where is your parish in reaching their goal?
Youth Youth activities from around the diocese
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MAY 13, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
PARISH, FAMILY AND SCHOOL EVENTS
FLOWOOD St. Paul, Homecoming outdoor celebration, Saturday, June 4, Mass at 4:30 p.m., food and fellowship follow. Celebration will take place on the hill behind the church. Details: church office (601) 992-9547. HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Memorial Day Boston Butt Sale, Last day to order is Monday, May 23. Pick-up day is Friday, May 27. Details: see a member of the men’s association after Mass or call Sal Galtelli 429-5071. MADISON St. Francis, Parish Family Picnic, Sunday, May 22 after 10:30 a.m. Mass. Picnic is full of activities for children, along with food and fellowship for all. Details: church office (601) 856-5556. MERIDIAN St. Patrick and St. Joseph communities, Pentecost Mass and picnic, June 5. Celebration will be held at the East Bank at Okatibbee Lake in Collinsville at 10 a.m. Details: church office (601) 693-1321. OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Knights of Columbus Spaghetti Fundraiser, Sunday, May 22 after Mass. Dine in or carry out. $8 per plate; $25 per family; $2 smoked sausage ($1 half); $10 quart gravy and $5 quart slaw. Details: church office (662) 895-5007. Queen of Peace, Knights of Columbus Indoor Yard Sale, Saturday, June 4 at 8 a.m. Details: Leonard Temple (901) 606-1959. PONTOTOC St. Christopher Catholic Friendship Camp, ages 7-11, June 12-18; and ages 12-14, June 19-25. Details: Heidi Stephens campsm@juno.com or https://www.campfriendshipmississippi.com. WEST POINT Immaculate Conception, Blood Drive, Wednesday, May 25 from 1-7 p.m. in Parish Hall.
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Details: Register at vitalant.org or call (877) 258-4825. Blood drive code: iccatholic.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, VBS 2022, Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness, June 20-24 at St. Elizabeth School. Details: Catelin Britt (662) 902-6478. OLIVE BRANCH VBS for 6th-8th grades, Wednesday June 15 from 6-9 p.m. VBS for K-5th grade, June 20-24, 9 a.m. till 12 p.m., volunteers are needed. Details: Kelly Murguia (662) 2169896. HERNANDO Holy Spirit, VBS June 13-17 from 6:15-8 p.m. Look for table in the Narthex with registration forms. Details: church office (662) 429-7851. NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, VBS, July 11-15, Evening hours. More information to be announced soon. PEARL St. Jude, Family Style VBS Wednesday evenings, June 8, 15, 22 and 29 starts at 6:30 p.m. following Mass. Join us family style for a picnic supper, Bible story, Saint of the week and games. Crafts will be take home. All activities will be outdoors, weather permitting. Registration coming soon. Details: church office (601) 939-3181. MADISON St. Francis, VBS 2022: The Jesus Expedition, June 20-24 for all children going into Pre-K4 through fourth grades. Registration will begin in May if enough volunteers sign up to assist with the camp. Details: Mary Catherine at mc.george@stfrancismadison.org. MERIDIAN St. Patrick, Vacation Bible School, July 18-22. More information coming soon.
YOUTH
SEARCH RETREAT July 22-24 at Camp Wesley Pines in Gallman. Also accepting staff applications. This retreat is open to those who are just completing their sophomore, junior or senior year of high school. Graduating seniors will have priority registration. Registration deadline is June 12. Details: https://bit.ly/37wUAcA or abbey.schuhmann@jacksondiocese.org.
JOB OPENINGS
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS Catholic schools across the diocese have a variety of positions open from principals to substitutes. Please visit https://schools.jacksondiocese. org/education-overview/employment/ for an opportunity near you. DIOCESE The Department of Faith Formation in the Diocese of Jackson is looking for a full-time Coordinator of the Office of Young Adults and Campus Ministry. The coordinator supervises and participates in the diocesan efforts for ministry to and with young adults, college students, youth and the various staff and volunteers who assist with these ministries from the parishes and schools. The successful candidate will be a collaborative member of a dynamic formation team. Please contact fran. lavelle@jacksondiocese.org if you have questions. Please send a cover letter and resume to by June 3 to be considered.
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CLEVELAND – Our Lady of Victories First Communion was held on Sunday, May 1 with Father Kent Bowlds. Bottom row (l-r): Grace Aguzzi, Karen Lopez, Sophie Antici, Lily Todd Rickels, Mary Matt Giachelli and Alondra Dimas.Top row (l-r): Victor Aguzzi, Charles Hardesty, Tabb Worsham, Samuel Hardesty, Luke Williams, Anderson Kitching, Alan Rivas, Martin Aguilar and Isaac Morales. (Photo by Jenifer Jenkins) Please, share your parish pictures with us! Mississippi Catholic will publish Sacrament pages in an upcoming edition this summer. Please send photos in actual size and include the following: parish name, sacrament celebrated, full names of those pictured by row (left to right) and name of photographer. Please email photos and information to: editor@jacksondiocese.org.
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MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC MAY 13, 2022
Assignments open door to ‘new life’ for shepherds By BiSHoP JoSePH R. KoPACZ, d.d.
priest when he leaves one parish where he knows many by name and whose voices With the image of the Good Shepherd before us in the center of the Easter season, echo with the memories of pastoral experiences of birth and death, and every stage in and with his voice resounding in our hearts and minds, let us commend to our cru- between. The unknown that awaits can evoke anxious feelings and uncertainty. I remember one change in assignment where the people gave me a great sendcified and risen Lord the priests of our diocese who strive to follow in his footsteps, off one evening, and on the next morning the altar server at Mass in the new parish especially those who are anticipating changes in the time ahead. In particular, we ask God’s blessing upon Deacon Andrew Bowden whom I will be looked at me curiously and asked, “and what’s your name again?” I smiled inwardly in that moment and said, “yes, it’s a new day.” ordaining to the priesthood of Jesus Christ for the Diocese of It is the cycle of dying and rising that we experience in the Jackson this Saturday, May 14 at our Cathedral of Saint Peter death and resurrection of the Good Shepherd. For the transthe Apostle. May our prayer rise up to ferred priest there could be grieving in the separation, and yet Over last weekend on the fourth heaven for all of our priests whom a change in a parochial assignment opens the door to new life Sunday of Easter which is always the Lord calls to serve as in the shepherding of individuals, families and communities dedicated to the Good Shepherd, a of faith whom the Lord entrusts to us. cohort of our priests addressed their good shepherds. With each “letting-go” and departure new life awaits. Still, congregations to inform them that it is not easy, and it takes time for everyone to adjust, the new they would be transferred to shepherd pastor and people, in order to establish relationships of trust, other flocks in the Diocese of Jackson respect and love. who are in need of a pastor due to retirements or departures. May our prayer rise up to heaven for all of our priests whom the Lord calls to serve Some are packing up and physically leaving after assorted lengths of time, while others are remaining in place but are as good shepherds. St. Peter exhorted the pastoral leaders of his day with the following words: “Care generously stretching themselves to shepherd additional parish communities. As many know, significant changes in life are not for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly — not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God.” (1Peter easy and require considerable time and energy. Last weekend with the image of the Good Shepherd before me I reflected upon the 5:2) In whatever parish and circumstances our priests and pastoral leaders find ourtransitions in my life as a priest over the past 45 years and could recall the feelings that selves, may we serve with the heart and mind of Jesus Christ. coursed through me during assignment changes, even after many years. The voice of the Lord is for all of the baptized. There is a dying that occurs with every change to what was, and so too with a
Las asignaciones abren la puerta a una “nueva vida” para los pastores PoR oBiSPo JoSePH R. KoPACZ, d.d.
Con la imagen del Buen Pastor ante nosotros y con su voz resonando en nuestros corazones y mentes, al centro del tiempo Pascual, encomendemos los sacerdotes de nuestra diócesis a nuestro crucificado y resucitado Señor, aquellos que se esfuerzan por seguir sus pasos, especialmente aquellos que anticipan cambios en el tiempo que se avecina. En particular, pedimos la bendición de Dios sobre el Diácono Andrew Bowden, a quien ordenare al sacerdocio de Jesucristo para la Diócesis de Jackson, este sábado 14 de mayo en nuestra Catedral de San Pedro Apóstol. Durante el último fin de semana del cuarto domingo de Pascua, que siempre está dedicado al Buen Pastor, una cohorte de nuestros sacerdotes se dirigió a sus congregaciones para informarles que serían transferidos, para pastorear otros rebaños que necesitan un pastor ya sea por jubilaciones o salidas en la Diócesis de Jackson. – Continúa en la pág. 15 – Volume 68 Number 11 (ISSN 1529-1693)
P.O. Box 2130 Jackson, MS 39225-2130 Phone: 601-969-3581 E-mail: editor@jacksondiocese.org Publisher ........................................................................................... Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz Communications Director ...................................................................... Joanna Puddister King Production Manager ...................................................................................................Tereza Ma Contributors ......................................................................................................... Berta Mexidor
MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC is an official publication of the Diocese of Jackson, 601-969-1880, 237 E. Amite St., Jackson, MS 39201. Published twice per month January - April and September December; once per month June, July and August. Subscription rate: $20 a year in Mississippi, $21 out-of-state. Periodical postage at Jackson, MS 39201 and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mississippi Catholic, P.O. Box 2130, Jackson, MS 39225-2130. Website: www.mississippicatholic.com www.jacksondiocese.org
BISHOP’S SCHEDULE Saturday, May 14, 10:30 a.m. – Priestly Ordination of Deacon Andrew Bowden, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson Sunday, May 15, 11 a.m. – Confirmation, St. Anne, Carthage Sunday, May 15, 5 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Francis of Assisi, Madison Sunday, May 22, 9:30 a.m. – Confirmation, St. Therese, Jackson Sunday, May 22, 5 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Richard, Jackson Saturday, May 28, 10 a.m. – Closing Ceremony for Christian Family Movement, Richland Community Center Wednesday, June 1, 6 p.m. – Confirmation, St. Jude, Pearl Friday, June 3, 6 p.m. – Installation of Father Adolfo Suarez, Hope Well Pointe, Morton Saturday, June 4, 10:30 a.m. – Ordination of Carlisle Beggerly to Diaconate, Immaculate Conception, West Point Saturday, June 4, 5 p.m. – Confirmation, Immaculate Conception, West Point Sunday, June 5, 10:30 a.m. – Confirmation, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, Jackson Saturday, July 9, 5 p.m. – Confirmation, St. James, Corinth Sunday, Aug. 28, 10:30 a.m. – Confirmation, St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale All events are subject to change. Check with parishes and schools for further details.
MAY 13, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
4 VOCATIONS CALLED BY NAME
Mother’s Day snuck up on me I must admit, it feels like we are usually well into the double-digit days of May before we set aside a day to honor Mom. I’m sitting here at my desk remembering the many lessons my mom taught me, at home, at school and in the church. My mother was my elementary school principal. I attended St. Benedict School in Elberta, Alabama where Claudia Adam was the principal from 1995-2005. It’s not every kid who can say that his mom literally ‘taught him.’ Because mom was a Catholic School teacher, she had plenty to do with the life of the parish. St. Bartholomew Parish sits right across the street from St. Benedict, and my mom cared deeply about enriching the faith of all the students under her care. With the help of handymen in the community she converted an old storage room into a very nice chapel on the school campus, and she never missed an opportunity to talk to us students about the importance of Mass and other devotions that we took part in like Stations of the Cross during Lent. I still remember that we would sing the parts of the Stabat Mater in Latin, we sounded like angels, except for being out of tune! My mother’s example was a huge reason that I became a priest. I saw her life of service, and it spoke to me. So, this is my encouragement to all you moms out there who have sons that are the apple of your eye. Please encourage them if you see priestly gifts in them. I know it can be frightening and different for your child to choose a road Father Nick Adam less traveled but take Mary’s example to heart. Mary had one child, and that child was miraculously conceived. Mary had a choice, and she said yes. And that yes blessed not just her family, not just her people, not just her country, not just the world, but the universe. That ‘yes’ brought Jesus into the world. God could have done it another way, but he allowed a free choice to bring Jesus into the created order. Your ‘yes’ can bless the universe as well. Your ‘yes’ can help Jesus be made sacramentally present in a parish that doesn’t have a resident priest right now. And we don’t just need more priests, we need more good priests. We need good men from good families who could serve their community and the world doing anything because they are so talented, but they choose to serve the church because they were called to this vocation, and they were nurtured and encouraged by their family to be generous with their gifts for the salvation of souls. Moms have a lot to do with a good man choosing to serve the church as a diocesan priest, and they can also have a lot to do with steering a man away from that call. I know it is scary, but I promise to do my best to walk with you and your family on the journey. I am so grateful to the mothers of our current seminarians who, like Mary, said yes. And their yes will lead to Jesus being made present in the sacraments for decades to come. In your charity, please say a prayer for my mom, who died in 2014. I miss her, but her example of humble service still inspires me, and even though she died before I was ordained, her courageous witness helped me to say yes to the Lord when the time came. Blessings to all moms and mother figures! – Father Nick Adam If you are interested in learning more about religious orders or vocations to the priesthood and religious life, please email nick.adam@jacksondiocese.org. Father Nick Adam remembers his mother, Claudia Adam (on right) on Mother’s Day. She was a huge impact on him and her courageous witness helped him to say yes to God’s call.
In memoriam: Sister Mary Jane Herlik, OP SINSINAWA, Wis. – Sister Mary Jane Herlik, OP, died April 4, 2022, at Bayfront Health, St. Petersburg, Florida. Her religious name was Sister Querin. The funeral Mass was held at the Dominican motherhouse, Sinsinawa, April 29, followed by burial in the Motherhouse Cemetery. Sister Mary Jane made her first profession as a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa Aug. 5, 1950, and her perpetual profession Aug. 5, 1953. She taught for 30 years and was co-principal for two years. Sister Mary Jane served as pastoral minister for 10 years and in the HIV/AIDS ministry for 16 years. She noticed in the early 1980s that medical personnel and clergy were afraid to enter hospital rooms of those dying of AIDS, so she responded to their needs, saying, “I felt I was being called to minister to those dying with AIDS.” (Tampa Bay Times) Sister Mary Jane advised people to “squeeze some joy out of every day, live with a grateful heart, and always trust in a loving God.” (The Link) She served in Illinois, Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. In the Diocese of Jackson, Sister Mary Jane served as AIDS ministry coordinator at Sacred Heart Southern Missions in Walls from 1993-1996. Sister Mary Jane was born Dec. 20, 1930, in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the daughter of Querin and Jenni (Heimerl) Herlik. Her parents and a sister, Rose Ann Hunsader, preceded her in death. She is survived by a sister, Rosalyn Simonar; a brother, Querin ”Quin” Herlik; nieces; nephews; and her Dominican Sisters with whom she shared 71 years of religious life. Memorials may be made to the Sinsinawa Dominicans, 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI, 538249701 or at www.sinsinawa.org/donate online. Repeat broadcasts of the wake and funeral for Sister Mary Jane are available online at www.sinsinawa.org/live. Click on the “on demand” tab.
Spirituality 5
MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC MAY 13, 2022
Fear of missing out IN EXILE By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
It’s hard for a child to have to go to bed in the middle of an evening when the rest of the family is still celebrating. Nobody wants to go to bed while everyone else is still up. No one wants to miss out on life. Remember how as a child, tired and unable to keep your eyes open, you still struggled against anyone who would try to put you to bed. Exhausted or not, you didn’t want to miss anything. You didn’t want to leave and go to sleep while so much life was going on. We never really outgrow that. That resistance is congenital and still haunts us on our deathbeds. One of our more painful anxieties is triggered by a sense that we are forever missing out on something. This is also one of our major fears about dying. For most people, the heaviness and darkness of dying come not so much from a fear of what they might meet in the next life, judgment and punishment, but from a fear of annihilation. Moreover, the fear here is not so much that their personal identity will be snuffed out (though that is a real fear) but rather that they will be taken away from all the life of which they have been part. The sadness lies in the having to let go, in knowing that life will now go on without us, of being taken off to bed while the party continues. And, this is deep inside us, so deep, that we find it difficult to imagine how the world can even go on without us. However, this is not a sign that there is something wrong with us, some neurosis that needs fixing or some moral or religious issue that needs attention. It’s the human condition, pure and simple, and God is the architect of that. In short, we’re built to be part of a fabric, not single threads content in their isolation. I was twenty-three years old when I watched my dad die in a hospital room. He was still young, sixty-two years old, and ideally should have had a number of years still ahead of him. But he was dying, he knew it, and despite a faith that gave him some comfort, was deeply sad about it. What he struggled with in his dying was not with some fear of the afterlife or some amends he still needed to make in this life. None of that. There was no unfinished business with God, nor religious and moral issues still to mend. Nor were there unhealthy fears of the afterlife. His only unfinished business had to do with this life, and what he would now miss out on in terms of (figuratively) being put to bed early while the party was still going on. In addition, for him, the party was in full swing. His adult children were just beginning to establish their lives and give him grandchildren, and the younger half of his family were actively preparing to enter into their adult lives. He wasn’t going to be around to see how all of this turned out and he wasn’t going to be around to see most of his grandchildren. More important still, he had a wife, a soulmate, whom he would be leaving. It wasn’t a good evening to be sent to bed early. Beyond all this, he still had his own siblings, neighbors, friends, a parish, civic involvements, sports teams and countless other life-giving connections, and he was aware, not without huge heartache, that these were all about to end, at least on this side of eternity. Why shouldn’t he have been sad? Indeed, why
shouldn’t any of us be sad whenever we are facing a death of any kind, when we are being put to bed while the rest of life is still going on? We are constitutively communitarian. As God himself said when he created the human family, it is not good for anyone to be alone. We are meant to be part of a family and a community, part of the fabric of life, and a fabric is made up of multiple threads. Thus, it’s understandably saddening whenever our single, fragile, lonely thread is being pulled away from the rest of the fabric. No wonder little children don’t want to be put to bed while everyone else is still carrying on with the evening.
Moreover, this isn’t just true for the sadness we experience when we face our deaths. The same dynamic is operative whenever we undergo the various mini deaths that beset us as we age, lose our health, retire, get fired from jobs, lose people we love, lose marriages, are geographically dislocated, or in any other way are pushed out of the mainstream of life towards the margins. So, it can be helpful to know that nothing is wrong here. Dying is hard. Letting go is hard. Being pushed aside is hard. Disappearing from life is particularly hard. That’s why little children don’t like being put to bed. (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
Pope tells Russian patriarch they are not ‘clerics of the state’ By Carol Glatz
Patriarch Kirill has been an outspoken supporter of VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Warning that the Russian Putin’s war on Ukraine, and the Vatican’s diplomatic Orthodox patriarch should not “turn himself into Putin’s team believed such a meeting could lead to “much conaltar boy,” Pope Francis also said he would like to go to fusion,” Pope Francis had told La Nación, the Argentine Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin in an attempt to end the newspaper, in an April 21 interview. When Russia invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, the pope conflict in Ukraine. The pope reiterated that he would not be going to called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he Kyiv “for now,” but “I first must go to Moscow, I must told Corriere della Sera. “Instead, I didn’t call Putin. I had heard from him in first meet Putin,” he said in an interview with the Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, published May 3. Vatican December for my birthday, but this time, no, I didn’t call him,” he said. He explained that he preferred to make a News also published most of the interview. Pope Francis said he sent a message through Cardi- more “clear gesture that the whole world could see and nal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, “20 days that is why I went to the Russian ambassador” to the after the war” started, to be delivered to Putin telling Holy See, Aleksandr Avdeyev, Feb. 25. He said he asked the ambassador “that they explain, him, “I was ready to go to Moscow.” “We still have not had a response, and we are still (and) I told him, ‘Please, stop this.’” The pope said the conflict is not just affecting the being persistent, even though I am afraid Putin may not be able to and may not want to have this meeting right Donbas region, but there is also “Crimea, it is Odesa – it now,” the pope said. “I am doing what I can. If Putin is taking away the port of the Black Sea from Ukraine, it is everything. I am a pessimist, but we must do everywere to open the door. ...” “But so much brutality, how do you not try to stop it? thing possible so that the war can end.” “There is not enough will for peace. The war is terriWe saw the same thing with Rwanda,” he said, referring to the genocide against members of the Tutsi minority ble, and we have to shout out” against it, he said. ethnic group in 1994, when at least 500,000 people were killed in about 100 days. Pope Francis also provided more details about a video call he had with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in mid-March. “I spoke with Kirill for 40 minutes via Zoom. He spent the first 20 minutes holding a piece of paper reading all the reasons for the war.” “I listened to him, and I told him, ‘I don’t know anything about this. Brother, we are not clerics of the state, we cannot use the language of politics, but of Jesus. We are shepherds of the same holy people of God. That is why we must seek the path of peace, to cease the blast of weapons,’” he said. “The patriarch cannot turn himself into Putin’s altar boy,” he said. The meeting that had been planned Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and Pope Francis between the pope and patriarch in Je- pose for photos at the beginning of their meeting at Jose Marti rusalem June 14, and has since been International Airport in Havana in this Feb. 12, 2016, file photo. In canceled, had nothing to do with the an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, pubconflict in Ukraine, the pope said. But lished May 3, 2022, Pope Francis warned that the Russian Orthoeven the patriarch now sees that any dox patriarch should not “turn himself into Putin’s altar boy.” He kind of meeting of theirs could send also said he would like to go to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin in “an ambiguous sign.” an attempt to end the conflict in Ukraine. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
MAY 13, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
6 DIOCESE
'... Court's holding will not be final until it is published ...' – Continued from page 1 –
cially with such a big case. A May 3 statement by the Supreme Court verified that the draft opinion reported on "is authentic" but that it "does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case." Roberts, in his own statement, emphasized the significance of the leaked document, which he said was a "singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here." He also said that if this action was "intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed. The work of the Court will not be affected in any way." He said he has directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak. Politico acknowledged that "deliberations on controversial cases have in the past been fluid. Justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled." "The court's holding will not be final until it is published, likely in the next two months," it added. But that does not stop the firestorm of speculation and discussion. A tweet from scotusblog, which reports on the Supreme Court, said: "It's impossible to overstate the earthquake this will cause inside the Court, in terms of the destruction of trust among the Justices and staff. This leak is the gravest, most unforgivable sin." Pro-life groups praised the court's potential decision but some also questioned the motivation behind the leak
and wondered if the court was being manipulated by this action. A May 2 tweet by Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said her organization would "not be providing comment on an official decision of #scotus possible leak until a decision is officially announced." "We also believe that given the leak the court should issue a ruling as soon as possible. This leak was meant to corrupt the process. It is heartbreaking that some abortion advocates will stoop to any level to intimidate the court no matter what the consequences," she added. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, also expressed some skepticism but also praise for the potential decision. "If the draft opinion made public tonight is the final opinion of the court, we wholeheartedly applaud the decision," she said in a statement adding: "If Roe is indeed overturned, our job will be to build consensus for the strongest protections possible for unborn children and women in every legislature." Those on the other side of the issue were similarly taken aback by the leak but also by the potential impact of the decision if it ultimately echoes the draft opinion. American Civil Liberties Union tweeted: "If the Supreme Court does indeed issue a majority opinion along the lines of the leaked draft authored by Justice Alito, the shift in the tectonic plates of abortion rights will be as significant as any opinion the Court has ever issued." And Planned Parenthood said in a May 2 tweet: "Let's be clear: This is a draft opinion. It's outrageous, it's unprecedented, but it is not final." During oral arguments in this case last December, a
majority of the justices indicate that they would uphold Mississippi's abortion ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which was struck down by a federal District Court in Mississippi in 2018 and upheld a year later by the New Orleans-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. A 15-week ban is not a Supreme Court Jus"dramatic departure from tice Samuel Alito Jr., a viability," Roberts said. Catholic, is seen during The point of viability – a group portrait session when a fetus is said to be at the Supreme Court able to survive on its own in Washington Nov. – was key to the discussion 30, 2018. (CNS photo/ because the Supreme Court Jim Young, Reuters) has consistently ruled that states cannot restrict abortion before 24 weeks or when a fetus is said to be able to survive on its own. In the draft opinion, Alito said Roe's viability distinction "makes no sense." If this draft is adopted by the court, it means a ruling in favor of the Mississippi abortion ban. If it goes further to overturn Roe, there would be stricter limits to abortion in parts of the U.S., particularly the South and Midwest, with several states set to immediately impose broad abortion bans. (Contributing to this report was Kurt Jensen.)
'... I only wish there were more time to do more ...' – Continued from page 1 –
er, Martinson became well-versed in thermals, or the combination of warmth provided by the sun and the ground that’s necessary to keep the lightweight craft aloft. As the sun warms the ground, the ground warms the air directly above it. This provides lift for the glider, which counters the natural sinking tendency of the plane. “The higher you could get in one of those thermals, the longer you could stay up,” Martinson said. “The worst thing I ever experienced was actually a dream I had, where I pulled the rope too soon and couldn’t get the plane high enough to have altitude to land. That put the fear of the Lord in me for a while.” Martinson and her husband went to Puerto Vallarto, Mexico, seven or eight times to parasail. In keeping with her lifelong sense of adventure, Martinson began to consider jumping out of a plane, thinking it would be fun. “I’m in New Orleans often and found a skydiving club in St. Tammany Parish. I made sure they had precautions and safety measures,” she said. “Billy was still living when I made my first jump.” Religious experience Booth’s skydive took place last Thanksgiving in Raleigh, North Carolina. She relished the opportunity to go with her grandchild. “I was tethered to an Rita Martinson of St. Francis Madison, took her ex-Marine I met that morning,” first skydive in November 2017 with grandson she said. “He was delightful. I Eric McKie. She plans to 'step out on faith' in watched them pack the paraanother dive on her 85th birthday on Sept. 11. chutes, and I had all the con(Photo courtesy of Rita Martinson) fidence in the world in him.
There were 14-15 people on the plane, and when the green light by the door goes on, it’s done. There’s no turning back." “The most uncomfortable part is that once you jump, you freefall several thousand feet. It’s hard to breathe. Once (the ex-Marine) deployed the parachute, we sat upright, and it was absolutely beautiful. It was late afternoon, and the sun was getting ready to go down. It was a religious experience.” “This was a drop of 13,000 feet,” Booth continued. “It was quiet and calm. You could not hear anything. It was about as serene as I have ever been. I told a friend that I soared like an eagle and landed like a feather. A lot of the people on the plane were true parachutists. One woman was making her fourteenth or fifteenth jump.” Booth, who turns 84 in June, considered the skydive a bucket list item. Although she has no plans for another jump, the overwhelmingly positive first experience is something she’ll always carry with her. “I think being able to step out of the box at this age is important, both to keep yourself up and running and interested – and interesting,” she said. “The pandemic took its toll on everybody, and I’m no exception. That was one more reason I needed to prove to myself that I could still do anything I wanted to do.” "Sock it to me" Martinson’s jump took place in November 2017. Like Booth, she went airborne with a grandchild. “First, you don’t jump – you walk out of the plane,” she said. “Eric, who had jumped once before, was tethered to someone else. We were asked if we wanted to do any loops or twirls. I said, ‘Sock it to me.’ We were up at 11,000 feet when we jumped. It made me a little dizzy, but it’s fun to know what it’s like, and that you can do it.” Martinson, who will celebrate her 85th birthday on September 11, will do what President Bush did on his 85th birthday – step out on faith and watch the world as she knows it come into focus while she floats back to earth. “People who are afraid to take a chance never get to see what they can do,” Martinson said. “It helped me and our children that Billy always urged us to get out there and take risks. He did that, too.” “I would like others to know that there are no firm boundaries keeping them from at least trying to do new things. There is so much to gain by at least giving it a whirl. I only wish there were more time to do more.” (Joe Lee is the Editor-in-Chief of Dogwood Press, and member of St. Francis Madison.)
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Panel brings Sister Thea Bowman’s life and legacy to Georgetown audience By Mark Pattison
let nobody turn me around, turn us around, turn us around; ain’t going to let nobody WASHINGTON (CNS) – Sister Thea turn us around. We’re going to keep on Bowman, one of six Black Catholics known walking, keep on talking, marching up to as a “Servant of God” now that their saintfreedom land.” hood causes are being advanced, has plenty “Certainly there have been so many of lessons to impart from her life to Cathoccasions in our recent history where we olics today, said panelists at a Georgetown might think he’s (God) gone – it’s all over, University dialogue May 4 that featured not our nation has collapsed. Our dreams are only personal perspectives but was also pepsmashed,” Cardinal Gregory said, although pered with song. he did not break into song. “But that song. Earlier in the day, Jesuit-run Georgetown And that’s one of my favorite songs: ‘His eye had dedicated a chapel in a building on camis on the sparrow, and I know he’s watching pus in the name of Sister Bowman, a Franover me.’” ciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration. “Sister Thea understood it mattered Sister Patricia Chappell, a Sister of Notre who told her story that Sister Thea was Dame de Namur and former executive dinot just a champion of racial justice but she rector of Pax Christi U.S.A. and former presstood against sexism, she stood against all ident of the National Black Sisters Conferforms of discrimination and oppression and ence, recalled her first encounter with Sister so often sometimes we focus on her chamThea in 1980 at an NBSC meeting. pioning of the great diversity of us which “She was all up in there throwing down with the rest of us,” Sister Chappell said, as Sulpician Father Peter W. Gray of Reisterstown, Md., displays a portrait he is beautiful and all of that and it’s authenshe gave a demonstration of the signature did of Sister Thea Bowman, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, at tically Catholic but we forget that she was part of the Aretha Franklin hit “Respect”: his home office in Reisterstown, Md., March 4, 2022. (CNS photo/Tyler struggling,” Williams said. “For so many people, we don’t know the “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to Orsburn) history of the anti-Black admissions policies me,” that the sisters were singing jointly. can American Freedom Struggle,” only found out about Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory of Washington was an Sister Thea in graduate school at Rutgers going though of the sisterhoods we haven’t had that many sisters of color and African American descendant sisters not beauxiliary bishop of Chicago in 1984 when he first en- microfilm newspapers from the Black press. countered Sister Thea at a Saturday afternoon parish “Sister Thea would call us to tell ‘the true truth’ and cause they weren’t being called but because they weren’t program on liturgy, culture and music. “I was just mes- realize the greatest weapons of white supremacy is the able to enter communities so it’s a story of lost vocations merized,” he recalled. “She was just full of life. And I said ability to erase the violence and victims, and therefore and just a reminder that generation of African American women and girls who desegregated those communities to myself, ‘You can learn a lot from this woman.’” we have to tell the true truth,” Williams said. Shannen Dee Williams, an associate professor of hisAsked what Sister Thea might say or sing were she are forgotten,” Williams said. Sister Thea died in 1990 at age 52 from cancer. tory at the University of Dayton and the author of “Sub- living today, Sister Chappell replied with another song, versive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long Afri- a favorite from the civil rights movement: “Ain’t going to
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Catholic University names street in honor of Sister Thea Bowman By Richard Szczepanowski
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Officials at The Catholic University of America dedicated and blessed a campus street April 29 named in honor of the late Sister Thea Bowman, a noted educator and evangelist who studied at Catholic University and whose cause for canonization was opened in 2018. “During her life, Sister Thea was a shining example of religious life, and she worked for social justice, racial equality and harmony among all peoples, especially in the Catholic Church,” said Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory who blessed the new Sister Thea Bowman Drive. “We are pleased to dedicate this street in her honor as a reminder that her life’s work still continues in the church and on this campus today.” Sister Thea died in 1990 from cancer at the age of 52. When she was 15, she entered the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, becoming the first and only African-American member of her order. When she took her vows as a nun, she changed her name from Bertha Bowman to Mary Thea Bowman, and pursued studies at Catholic University where she earned a master’s and doctorate degree in English. For more than 15 years, Sister Thea was an educator on the high school and college levels. She then began her ministry as an evangelist, traveling the Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, right, and Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District United States to urge priests, bishops and her fellow Catholics to accept her of Columbia, left, participate in the dedication and blessing of Sister Thea Bowman and other African Americans as “fully Black and fully Catholic.” Drive at The Catholic University of America in Washington April 29, 2022. Sister BowIn addition to her evangelization work, Sister Thea helped found the man, who died in 1990, is one of six Black Catholics who are candidates for sainthood. National Black Sisters Conference to provide support for African-American Her sainthood cause was opened in 2018 and she has the title “Servant of God.” (CNS women in religious life. In 1987, she also helped produce “Lead Me, Guide photo/Tyler Orsburn) Me: The African American Catholic Hymnal,” the first such hymnal for Afson of the Sister Thea Bowman Committee. rican-American Catholics. “We hope that the Sister Thea Bowman Drive will serve not only as a visible trib“While she went home to God more than 30 years ago, the impact of Sister Thea ute to Sister Thea, but also as a constant reminder to each of us to ... work together to Bowman’s life is still felt in our own time,” Cardinal Gregory said in blessing the street make positive and meaningful change in our lives, our communities and the world,” next to the university’s Columbus School of Law. “By her words and example, she she said. challenged everyone to follow the command of the Lord Jesus to love God with all of Aaron Dominguez, the university’s provost, praised Sister Thea as “our righteous our heart and our neighbors as ourselves.” inspiration.” Among those attending the dedication ceremony was D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, “We celebrate Sister Thea by dedicating this road to her, a strong, Black Catholic who called the late nun “an extraordinary woman of faith.” woman who is in the process of navigating the path toward sainthood in the Catholic Mayor Bowser, who grew up in and continues to attend nearby St. Anthony of Church and whose legacy continues to call us to walk a road of solidarity and unity as Padua Parish said that whenever anyone sees the newly named street, “they will be one human family,” Dominguez said. inspired to do more and to be better.” The motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in La Crosse, The street dedication was recommended by the university’s Sister Thea Bowman Wisconsin, sent a letter that was read during the dedication ceremony, that said they Committee, which was formed to promote racial diversity on the campus and the wider hoped that as people “move along Sister Thea Bowman Drive, you move with love community. and joy.” “In recognition of Sister Thea’s contributions and lasting impact as a religious sister, as an educator and as the conscience of the church, the university thought it important (Szczepanowski is managing editor of the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Archdito honor her in a permanent and visible way by naming a street after her,” said Regina ocese of Washington.) Jefferson, a professor of law at the university’s Columbus School of Law and chairper-
Motherhood, steward for life STEWARDSHIP PATHS By Julia Williams
JACKSON – The month of May is a special month because it is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This year, we celebrate two important Marian feasts during this month: Our Lady of Fatima on May 13 and The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on May 31. May is also dedicated to recognizing moms, grandmothers, stepmoms, mothers-to-be and all women who, in and through their lives, encompass the qualities of motherhood. When we talk about Christian stewardship, we talk about sacrificially returning to God what we have been given. What can more clearly be a demonstration of complete sacrifice than the relationship between mother and child during the nine months of growth in the womb? All mothers should look to Mary as their model for motherhood and ask her
intercession as they strive to fulfill their God-given role in their children’s lives. During the month of May, let us all take some time to express our appreciation to our mothers for allowing us to come into this world, for loving us, and for serving as an example of what it means to be a steward for life. (To subscribe to the monthly Stewardship PATHS newsletter, scan the QR code or email julia.williams@jacksondiocese.org. Excerpts: bigcatholics.blogspot.com)
Virgin Mary, Jan van Eyck, 1426-1429 (Public Domain)
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Crucifix finds home, Natchez archives attempt to solve mystery of blessed nail
NATCHEZ – A crucifix was discovered by St. Mary Basilica Archives Committee in the original crypt area in the lower level of the church in early 2012. The committee attempted to locate a “blessed nail” thought to be “preserved in the Sacred Feet,” according to note from Bishop Elder dated May 3, 1869. More photos can be found at www.mississippicatholic.com. (Photo by Mike Murphy)
FROM THE ARCHIVES By Mary Woodward
JACKSON – In the last article we visited with some statues that had found new homes after being displaced. This week I would like to introduce you to a couple of crucifixes that are connected with two churches dedicated to the Blessed Mother. First, we have the crucifix that adorned St. Mary Church in West Jackson. The parish was merged with St. Therese Parish in 2015. St. Mary Church was completed in the mid-1950s and stood regally on Claiborne Avenue for 60 years, but early on Yazoo Clay began to take a toll on the foundation of the structure. The rise of suburbia took a toll on the size of the congregation and ultimately the difficult decision was made to close St. Mary’s and merge it with St. Therese. We featured St. Mary’s statues previously as mentioned, but the actual dismantling of the high altar and finding a home for the crucifix that graced it was a daunting challenge. Eventually, we made contact with Father Tommy Conway of the Diocese of Biloxi, who was tasked with establishing a new parish ironically in a suburb outside of Hattiesburg. The corpus was wooden with a long crack down the torso. It was attached to one-inch-thick green now very brittle marble. Therefore, the corpus was removed separately and mounted to a wooden frame for transport to the new parish which was dedicated to St. Fabian. It was the last item loaded into the 18-wheeler full of crated marble, tabernacle, and candlesticks. As in Caravaggio’s Deposition, the salvage crew reverently carried the Crucified Christ to the bed of the trailer and gently laid him down on a padded JACKSON – The crucifix that adorned St. Mary parish in West Jackson found a new home outside of Hattiesburg. Great care was taken to dismantle the high altar and transport the Crucified Christ. (Photos courtesy of archives)
cloth. The door slid down like the stone rolled before the tomb. I have to say it was a very powerful moment for all of us working there that morning. Watching the truck pull away knowing the Lord was entombed in it brought a silence upon us and tears trickled out of the corner of eyes down cheeks. Our second featured crucifix now hangs on the wall in the St. Mary Basilica family life center in Natchez. In early 2012, the crucifix was discovered by Basilica Archives Committee members in the original crypt area in the lower level of the church. It was mounted on a wall and showed the signs of its age and a few botched repair efforts. One of the wonderful aspects of archives life is the people one encounters. St. Mary Basilica Archives Committee is a group of extremely dedicated individuals who have taken the reins of creating an amazing local archive, which is a shining example of love for our faith and our traditions. Immediately the committee, led at that time by Chairman Jimmy Guercio, resolved to have the sacred object researched and restored. According to an article by Guercio on the Basilica Archives web page, there was no real documentation on the crucifix anywhere. The only mention of a large crucifix being in the church was from Bishop William Henry Elder’s note dated May 3, 1869, that a “blessed nail” was “preserved in the Sacred Feet of the large crucifix...in the Cathedral...” Coincidentally, the Conrad Schmitt design and restoration company, which had restored the Basilica in 2001, was wrapping up its renovations of the Cathedral in Jackson. Wil Kolstad, the lead artisan for the Cathedral project, was sent to Natchez to restore the crucifix. Prior to completing the process, the mystery of the blessed nail needed to be solved. Therefore, Guercio, Kolstad and other committee members accompanied the corpus across the river to a diagnostic imaging center in Vidalia. The whole process of the patient Jesus being scanned was documented by committee photographer Mike Murphy. Unfortunately, the scan did not reveal a nail in the feet, but it does reflect the fine dedication of the Basilica Archives Committee and its commitment to document the faith and tradition of the church of Natchez and our diocese. I hope these accounts of our sacred objects will inspire in you, the reader, a sense of Catholicity and a love for the deep and sacred spiritual traditions of our church. There is nothing else like it on this earth; it can only be heaven sent. (Mary Woodward is Chancellor and Archivist for the Diocese of Jackson)
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NEW YORK (CNS) – New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said he was surprised and inspired by Ukrainians he met when he made a brief visit to Lviv, Ukraine. “I thought I would come to Ukraine and see great depression,” he told the Religious Information Service of Ukraine. “Yes, I see sadness and pain, but I am impressed by the vitality, hope and solidarity of Ukrainians.” On May 2, the cardinal and Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Latin-rite archbishop of Lviv, met with the leadership of the Ukrainian Catholic University, families of displaced Ukrainians who found refuge during the war and student volunteers. The visit was part of a trip by a New York church delegation to visit and express solidarity with Ukrainian refugees, including those in the bordering countries of Poland and Slovakia. “I see Ukrainians welcoming internally displaced persons. I see Ukrainians giving their rooms and houses to those who have lost their homes, such as here at the Ukrainian Catholic University. I see Ukrainians volunteering and working on water, medicine and food supplies,” Cardinal Dolan told RISU. “I see people who are patriots. I see Ukrainians who do not allow evil to say the last word. Life will overcome darkness. Life will defeat death. There is no depression in Ukraine, there is hope. I feel encouraged to be here in Ukraine.” The cardinal told RISU he would pass on Ukrainians’ messages of gratitude for all the help they received from Americans. Nearly 12 million Ukrainians have fled their own country or been displaced from their homes in Ukraine since the Russian military invasion of their homeland began Feb. 24, according to the United Nations. WASHINGTON (CNS) – After the Supreme Court ruled that Boston violated the free speech rights of a Christian group to fly its flag at City Hall, another group, The Satanic Temple, has requested permission to fly a flag outside the city building. The mayor’s office of the Boston has not commented on the group’s request except to say that is has been reviewing the court’s decision and also evaluating its flag-raising program. On May 2, the Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision in favor of the city flying the flag of a Christian group. It said the city couldn’t deny the group the right to raise its flag along with other flags reflecting the city’s diversity. “Boston’s flag-raising program does not express government speech,” wrote Justice Stephen Breyer in the court’s opinion. “As a result, the city’s refusal to let (the group) fly their flag based on its religious viewpoint violated the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment.” “This case is so much more significant than a flag,” said Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, a Christian legal group that represented Camp Constitution that owns the flag in question. “Boston openly discriminated against viewpoints it disfavored when it opened the flagpoles to all applicants and then excluded Christian viewpoints,” he added in a statement.
VATICAN
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Meeting with superiors general of women’s religious orders, Pope Francis arrived in a wheelchair – the first time he has used one publicly at the Vatican. The 85-year-old pope has been experiencing severe knee pain for months and told an Italian newspaper May 3 that his doctor had advised rest and “injections” into the knee; the Vatican has not clarified whether the injections would be cortisone, hyaluronic acid or another therapy typically used to treat joint pain or deterioration. When the pope met May 5 with members of the women’s International Union of Superiors General, he arrived in a wheelchair pushed by his personal aide, Sandro Mariotti. The women superiors were holding their plenary assembly in Rome May 2-6, focusing on the theme, “Embracing Vulnerability on the
BRIEFS 13 Synodal Journey.” Pope Francis handed the UISG leaders his prepared text but responded to questions rather than reading the speech. According to the UISG communications office, the discussion included the war in Ukraine, the need to offer long-term help to Ukraine and Ukrainians, the importance of discernment within religious communities, colonialism and the importance of being faithful to the founding charism of one’s order without being “rigid.” One of the tweets from the office said the pope told them not to be “frozen nuns.”
WORLD
ABUJA, Nigeria (CNS) – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari told West African bishops he appreciated Pope Francis’ encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” for proposing some of the boldest and most radical ideas on securing human unity, peace and security. “Peace cannot reign in our region if it does not first reign in our communities and countries. Which is why I think that the theme of this summit is especially apt,” the president said in a message read by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The president’s message was delivered May 3 at the opening of the Reunion of Episcopal Conferences of West Africa, meeting on the theme “Fratelli Tutti: Path to Build Brotherhood and Sustainable Peace in West Africa.” Buhari said the basis of the encyclical – “the idea that fraternity and social friendship are the ways to build a better, more just and peaceful world with the commitment of all people and institutions” – was especially needed in today’s times. He said people of faith should look upon diversity as a gift, not as a cause of conflict. “By offering concrete prescriptions on building brotherhood and sustainable peace anywhere, the encyclical ‘Fratelli Tutti’ rightly takes the position that this is not merely the business of governments and political institutions; it must also be anchored on our civil societies, of which the faith communities are an important constituency.” LIMA, Peru (CNS) – Good Shepherd Sister María Agustina Rivas Lopez, who was murdered by terrorists during Peru’s political violence, was beatified May 7 during a liturgy in the same plaza where she was shot to death in 1990. The altar, adorned with local tropical plants and flowers, was set up outside the simple, red-roofed Catholic church in La Florida, a small town in the central Amazonian Vicariate of San Ramon. A reliquary, adorned with leaves fashioned from silver and containing relics of Sister Rivas, who was known affectionately as “Sor Aguchita,” was placed on a table before the altar. The offertory gifts included a basket of bread, a coffee plant, cassava tubers, cacao pods and fruit, all crops typical of the area. With her life and her death, Sister Rivas put her faith in peace, not in violence, Bishop Gerardo Zerdin of San Ramon told Catholic News Service. She also leaves an example of
an “option for the Amazon, nature, the environment,” he said, and “a great urge to serve others. with a complete absence of economic interest.” In his homily at the beatification Mass, Venezuelan Cardinal Baltazar Porras Cardozo, who represented Pope Francis at the ceremony, highlighted Sister Rivas’ humility and willingness to serve others, her preferential option for the poor and her devotion to the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph from an early age. Her martyrdom, he said, highlighted “the senselessness of violence, crime, injustice, and the evil of ideologies in which human life means nothing. The indiscriminate use of weapons leaves only death and desolation; it does not solve real problems of human coexistence.”
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Foundation Charitable Gift Annuity offers income and aids with philanthropic goals By Rebecca Harris
JACKSON – The Catholic Foundation works to help with your philanthropic goals. Part of our mission is to foster stewardship here in our diocese the Catholic Foundation works with individuals who are interested in starting a charitable gift annuity. Many donors shy away from these types of donations because they feel they are too complicated for them. Our goal is to walk you through the process to determine if this is the right type of gift for you. What is a Charitable Gift Annuity? It is is an arrangement that permits a donor to make a gift to while retaining a stream of fixed income payments for the donor’s life. Any balance remaining in the annuity after the death of the donor then passes to the Foundation for the ministry, parish, or Catholic School chosen by the donor. What are the Benefits? The primary benefit of a Charitable Gift Annuity is that the donor receives a fixed payment for life, no matter how long he or she may live. A portion of the payments are tax-free for a specified time. Further, because the donor is making a gift to the Catholic Foundation, a portion of the amount paid for the annuity is an immediate deductible charitable gift for income tax purposes, as allowable by IRS rules. The donor would also have the satisfaction of knowing that a gift today will be used to support future Catholics in our diocese. What are the Features? The donor receives secure convenient deposits of payments into your preferred bank account. There are three types of annuities to select from immediate one life, immediate two lives, or deferred payments to start later. The minimum amount to establish a charitable gift annuity is $5,000 and the minimum age to receive income is 55 years old.
Is a Charitable Gift Annuity right for you? Our staff is ready to work with you. To get a free illustration of your gift please contact Rebecca Harris at (601) 960-8477. With a few details and we can provide you with a gift illustration. Included in the illustration is your potential charitable income tax deduction and your yearly payments for life as well as an estimated amount that will go to your beneficiary.
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Faith, fortitude, martyrdom, miracles: Pope will recognize 10 new saints By Cindy Wooden
in educating the laity in the faith, using illustrations he trauma with severe subarachnoid hemorrhage, severe painted himself and songs and poetry he wrote. He died coma, endocranial hypertension and diffuse axonal damin 1607. age,” the Congregation for Saints’ Causes said. – Blessed Luigi Maria Palazzolo, an Italian priest – Blessed Maria Domenica Mantovani, co-founder and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the and first superior general of the Little Sisters of the Holy Poor. Born in 1827, he was ordained to the priesthood Family. Born in 1862 in Castelletto di Brenzone, Italy, in 1850. The Vatican biography said, “At that time there she dedicated her life to serving the poor and needy was an abundance of clergy and, like the majority of as well as assisting the sick and the elderly. She died in priests from wealthy families who stayed at home and 1934. generously dedicated themselves to good works, Don The miracle in her case involved the healing in 2011 Luigi chose to devote himself to young people” at an or- of a 12-year-old girl in Argentina who, during a medical atory in a poor neighborhood. He opened a school that procedure, suffered convulsions, cardiac arrest and respioffered evening classes in reading and writing to men ratory failure. Touched with a relic of Blessed Mantovani and boys before opening a separate oratory for girls and and supported by the prayers of her family, the girl was founding the Sisters of the Poor to run it. extubated two days later and went on to recover, the – Blessed Giustino Maria Russolillo, an Italian who, Vatican said. on the day of his ordination to the priesthood in 1913, – Blessed Titus Brandsma was born in Oegekloostvowed to establish a religious order dedicated to pro- er, Netherlands, in 1881 and entered the Carmelites in moting vocations to the priesthood and religious life, but 1898. Ordained in 1905, he was sent to Rome for furhis first attempt was stopped by his bishop. Eventually, ther studies and, while there, became a correspondent though, he founded the Society of Divine Vocations for for several Dutch newspapers and magazines. When he men and the Vocationist Sisters. returned home, he founded the magazine Karmelrozen – Blessed Charles de Foucauld and, in 1935, was named chaplain to the Dutch Cathowas born in Strasbourg, France, in lic journalists’ association. During World War II, he was 1858. He strayed from the faith arrested and sent to Dachau for treason after defending during his adolescence, but during a Jews and encouraging Catholic newspapers not to print trip to Morocco, he saw how devot- Nazi propaganda. He was killed with a lethal injection in ed Muslims were to their faith, which 1942 at the age of 61 and cremated at the camp. inspired him to return to the church The miracle in his cause involved Carmelite Father and, eventually, to join the Trappists. Michael Driscoll, former pastor of St. Jude Church in After living in monasteries in France Boca Raton, Florida, who is now 80 years old. In 2004 and in Syria, he sought an even more he had been diagnosed with severe, stage 4, metastatAlgunos están empacando y – Viene de la pág. 3 – austere life as a hermit. Ordained ic melanoma and began praying to Blessed Titus and mudándose físicamente en una to the priesthood in 1901, he lived putting a relic of the martyr’s clothing on his head and variedad de períodos de tiempo, mientras que otros permanecen en su among the poor and finally settled neck. When the medical board of the Congregation for lugar pero se esfuerzan generosamente para pastorear comunidades in Tamanrasset, Algeria. In 1916, he Saints’ Causes looked at the case, the Vatican said, “of the parroquiales adicionales. Como muchos saben, los cambios significatiwas killed by a band of marauders. disease, which was particularly malignant and invasive, vos en la vida no son fáciles y requieren mucho tiempo y energía. His writings inspired the foundation, there was no longer any trace, even after more than 15 El fin de semana pasado, con la imagen del Buen Pastor ante mí, reafter his death, of the Little Brothers years.” flexioné sobre las transiciones, durante los últimos 45 años, en mi vida of Jesus and the Little Sisters of Jesus. – Blessed Marie Rivier, a Frenchwoman who foundcomo sacerdote y pude recordar los sentimientos que me atravesaron – Blessed Anna Maria Rubatto, ed the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in 1796 during durante los cambios de asignación, incluso después de muchos años. founder of the order now known as the time of the French Revolution, when many Catholic Hay un morir que ocurre, con cada cambio de lo que era, también the Capuchin Sisters of Mother Rub- convents were closed and religious activities were outcon un sacerdote cuando deja una parroquia, donde conoce a muchos atto, was born in Carmagnola, Italy, in lawed. She was born in 1768 and died in 1838. por su nombre y cuyas voces resuenan con los recuerdos de las experi1844 and died in Montevideo, Uru– Blessed Carolina Santocanale, also known as Blessencias pastorales del nacimiento y la muerte, y cada etapa intermedia. guay, in 1904. ed Mary of Jesus, an Italian nun born in 1852, who Lo desconocido que aguarda puede evocar sentimientos de ansiedad e The miracle accepted in her cause founded the Congregation of the Capuchin Sisters of the incertidumbre. involved the healing in March 2000 Immaculate of Lourdes. She died in Palermo in 1923. Recuerdo un cambio en una asignación en la que la gente me dio in Colonia, Uruguay, of a young man una gran despedida una noche y a la mañana siguiente, el monaguillo suffering from “cranio-encephalic Follow Wooden on Twitter: @Cindy_Wooden de la Misa en la nueva parroquia me miró con curiosidad y me preguntó: “¿Cuál es tu nombre, por favor?” Sonreí interiormente en ese The Diocese of Jackson has launched a third-party reporting system that will enmomento y dije: “sí, es un nuevo día.” able all diocesan employees, volunteers and parishioners to anonymously (or named Es el ciclo de morir y resucitar que experimentamos en la muerte y if preferred) make reports. Examples of this activity include fraud, misconduct, saferesurrección del Buen Pastor. Para el sacerdote trasladado puede haber ty violations, harassment or substance abuse occurring at a Catholic parish, Cathoduelo en la separación y sin embargo un cambio de destino parroquial lic school or at the diocesan level. The system is operated by Lighthouse Services. abre la puerta a una nueva vida en el pastoreo de las personas, familias Based in Deerfield, Illinois, Lighthouse Services maintains ethics, safety and fraud y comunidades de fe que el Señor nos confía. hotlines for over 4,100 organizations between the U.S. and abroad. Con cada “dejarse llevar” y partir, aguarda una nueva vida. Aún así, no es fácil y lleva tiempo que todos se adapten, el nuevo pastor y la To make a report visit www.lighthouse-services.com/jacksondiocese gente, para establecer relaciones de confianza, respeto y amor. or call 888-830-0004 (English) or 800-216-1288 (Spanish). Que nuestra oración se eleve al cielo por todos nuestros sacerdotes a quienes el Señor llama para ser buenos pastores. The Association of Priests of the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi provide a small San Pedro exhortaba a los líderes pastorales de su época con las pension to our retired priests. As you consider your estate plans, please remember siguientes palabras: “Cuiden de las ovejas de Dios que han sido puestas these faithful servants by making a donation or leaving a bequest to the Association a su cargo; háganlo de buena voluntad, como Dios quiere, y no forzaof Priests. Our parish priests dedicate their lives to caring for us, their flocks. Let us damente ni por ambición de dinero, sino de buena gana.” (1 Pedro 5:2) now care for them in their retirement. Donations can be made payable to the AssoEn cualquier parroquia y circunstancia que nuestros sacerdotes y líderes pastorales nos encontremos, que podamos servir con el corazón ciation of Priests and can be mailed to: y la mente de Jesucristo. Diocese of Jackson, Attn: Cathy Pendleton, P.O. Box 2248, Jackson, MS La voz del Señor es para todos los bautizados. 39225-2248
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After a long pandemic pause, Pope Francis is scheduled to celebrate a Mass May 15 for the canonization of 10 men and women: five from Italy, three from France, one from India and one from the Netherlands. The 10, listed in the order the Congregation for Saints’ Causes lists them, are: – Blessed Devasahayam Pillai, an Indian layman and father who was born to an upper-caste Hindu family in 1712 and converted to Christianity in 1745. The Vatican said his refusal to participate in Hindu ceremonies and his preaching about “the equality of all people,” denying the Hindu caste system, led to his arrest, torture and his death in 1752. – Blessed César de Bus, the France-born founder of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine, a religious congregation dedicated to education, pastoral ministry and catechesis. Born in 1544, he enjoyed life and parties until he had a conversion experience in his early 30s and began dedicating his life to prayer and helping the poor. Ordained to the priesthood in 1582, he was a pioneer
‘... Que nuestra oración se eleve al cielo por todos nuestros sacerdotes ...’
MAY 13, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
16 Columns
Lady Julian of Norwich, lesson of hope REFLECTIONS ON LIFE By Melvin Arrington
The acclaimed English mystic known to us as Lady or Dame Julian (or Juliana) of Norwich (c. 1342-1416) was, in all likelihood, a Benedictine nun whose birth name has been lost to history. Lady Julian lived during the 14th century, an age that historian Barbara Tuchman in her study A Distant Mirror characterized as “calamitous.” Those were indeed dark and perilous times besieged by plague, wars, pogroms, famines and schism. Yet, despite all the societal upheavals and her own personal tribulations, Julian remained surprisingly upbeat and hopeful. In 1373 she became deathly ill, a condition she had actually prayed for in an effort to become united with Christ in suffering. On May 8 of that year, while near death, Julian received 16 visions (or “showings”) of Our Lord, beginning with the Crown of Thorns. Although claiming to be a “simple unlettered creature” (probably a reference to not knowing Latin), she wrote, not long after her recovery, a volume of meditations based on these visions. This work, Revelations of Divine Love, now considered a classic of Western spirituality, is also noteworthy for being the first book in English authored by a woman. Julian produced two versions of the Revelations, both written in Middle English: the “short text,” containing 25 chapters, composed shortly after receiving the “showings,” and the “long text,” consisting of 86 chapters, written over a period of twenty years. The latter offered a more detailed account as a way of explaining and clarifying the meaning of the visions. Following her brush with death, she withdrew
from the world and lived the remainder of her life as an anchorite or, to use the feminine form, anchoress, an urban recluse, confined to a small, cell-like room attached or “anchored” to the outer wall of the Church of St. Julian in Norwich, England – the same church by whose name we know her today. She spent those last years meditating on the 16 revelations and offering spiritual advice to all who came to seek her council. I first became interested in the life and writings of this holy woman last fall while recovering from a life-threatening illness. Unlike Julian’s infirmity, which she had asked God for, mine was thrust upon me. I remember the emergency room physician telling me, “Well, it looks like you’re going to survive.” What? Wait a minute! Survive? My situation couldn’t be that grave! But it was, and as I soon learned, I was facing several months of medication therapy and recovery time. Later in that conversation the doctor remarked that he couldn’t figure out how I had made it to the hospital alive. Here’s my explanation: God must have intervened on my behalf and performed a miracle because He had something more for me to do. Miracles do happen, and when they occur, it’s for a reason. To the modern-day observer the fact that Julian would pray for an illness that would cause terrible suffering and bring her to the door of death is beyond perplexing. Was this unusual petition made in an effort to purge some mortal sin? We don’t know. But clearly, she believed that through her agony she could draw nearer to Jesus. As for me, my ordeal brought me closer to Our Lord in a way I had never known before and gave me a renewed sense of hope. He can truly bring forth good from a bad
Ardent longing FROM THE HERMITAGE By
sister alies therese
In Madeleine L’Engle’s marvelous Wrinkle in Time, Meg learns what to long for in darkness and foreboding. When she discovered Mrs. Whatsit loved her, Meg could use it. Only hatred and deception filled It, yet by love, Meg would make all things well again, despite her fears. The more she insisted she loved her brother Charles Wallace, the more he was freed from It’s powerful falsehoods to become himself again; freedom reigned, and they escaped. I wonder if Julian saw something like this in her shewings, her wrinkle in time; the passion being full of hatred and darkness yet ultimately exposing great love? “In a world that is in danger of losing sight of the fact that ‘all shall be well,’ Julian’s soteriology has something to contribute to hope...unity between all things: God, creation and humanity...it generates hope that our present experience of divine love will come to eschatological fruition for all creation, all things, in the fulness of God’s time.” (Gifted Origins to Graced Fulfillment: The Soteriology of Julian of Norwich, Kerrie Hide) Consider some similarities: Julian (1342-1416) was surrounded by plague...the Black Death killed over 55,000 in Norfolk when she was six. The Hundreds’ Year war, peasant revolts, the troubled reign of Richard II, prosecution of heresy, and the Great Schism splitting the Latin and Eastern rites were among top news items. Today’s issues are sadly familiar. Many languish looking for hope, wondering what to desire. To discover the hope and joy that Julian will finally tell us about, this ‘all shall be well,’ invites us into the search to discover the demon of deception who tries to overcome God’s kindness. We find Julian disclosing her encounters with Jesus in her book. What did the revelations on May 8, 1373, unveil? God’s love for all He had created. The first fifteen came three days after pain left her during a near-death experience; the sixteenth came after a gap where she was confronted by the devil in frightening darkness. God’s love keeps and sustains all and though there is sin, God looks on all God has made with pity, does not blame, and assures us that ‘all will be well.’ Julian was in her 30’s when she picked up her cat, moved with her maid, and set off to pray in an anchorhold, rooms attached to the church. The local Bishop sealed her in with a liturgy of the dead and consecration, and she never left, speaking only
situation. (Romans 8:28) According to the Catechism, by the theological virtue of hope “we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (1817) Furthermore, this virtue “keeps man from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens up his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude.” (1818) The Catechism adds that hope “affords us joy even under trial.” (1820) During Julian’s close encounter with death she could claim this joy because of the reassuring words Our Lord had spoken to her, the same words we remember her by today: “I am able to make all things well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.” Although sometimes referred to with the title “Saint” or “Blessed,” this remarkable English mystic was never officially canonized or beatified. Nevertheless, the church commemorates her on May 13; in addition, the Catechism (313) cites her as an authority. The important lessons she can teach us may be summarized as follows: we all have a cross we must bear, and no matter the weight of that cross, no matter the trials and tribulations we face, the severity of the affliction or the intensity of the pain we have to endure – in short, no matter how bad it gets – “All shall be well.” As Archbishop Sheen says, “We need never fear the outcome of the battle of life; we need never ask whether we will win or lose. Why, we have already won, only the news has not yet leaked out!” Lady Julian of Norwich was able to proclaim “all shall be well” because she could see the big picture. Her hope was based not just on this life but also on a longing for union with God and a desire to spend all eternity with Him in the world to come. If we have this same hope, we can experience a similar joy and peace that no one can take away.
to her maid, the priest and those who came to her window for consolation facing the busy streets of Norwich, then England’s second-largest city. “Concerning my third petition, I conceived a very great desire to receive three wounds: the wound of true contrition, the wound of natural compassion, and the wound of fullhearted longing for God.” (Revelations of Divine Love, Intro) God answered her plea. What do I ardently long for? Julian’s three gifts are stark in our world of opposites. The wounds are central to her life, and she says: “...in grief and sorrow, I said this to my Lord, in fear and trembling: ‘Oh good Lord, how can all be well when great harm has come to your creatures through sin?’” (chapter 29) In chapter 31, the good Lord answered with this: “I am able to make all things well, and I shall make all things well. And you will see for yourself that all manner of thing shall be well.” Consider this: “Find delight in the Lord, who will give you your heart’s desires.” (Psalms 37:4) Jesus will quote from this psalm when teaching the beatitudes: “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and will delight in great prosperity.” (37:11) These ‘meek’ are those ‘overwhelmed by want,’ the anawim, and ‘denotes those who are aware of their dependence upon God.’ (New Jerome Biblical Commentary, 532). Those deceived are sure they are in control. Julian, however, like these anawim, banked on Jesus whose: “Hidden dynamism was at work by which all manner of thing would be well. This ‘secret,’ this act which the Lord keeps hidden is the full fruit of the Parousia. It is not just that ‘Jesus comes,’ but Jesus comes to reveal with God’s final answer to all the world’s anguish...the ‘great deed’ the Lord will do on that day, not of destruction and revenge, but of mercy and life...all will be made right in spite of all its sorrow. The ‘wise heart’ remains in hope and contradiction...fixed on the secret.” (Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, Thomas Merton) Finally, Julian wants to reveal this love, this joy, this ‘secret’ Merton speaks of. In chapter 14 she shares: “I saw in my imagination heaven, and our Lord as the head of the house, who had invited all dear servants and friends to a great feast. The Lord occupied no one place in particular in the house, but presided regally over it all, suffusing it with joy and cheer. Utterly at home, and with perfect courtesy, Jesus was the eternal happiness and comfort of friends, the marvelous music of unending love showing in the beauty of His blessed face full of joy and delight.” (Sister alies therese is a canonically vowed hermit with days formed around prayer and writing.)
MAY 13, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
DIOCESE 17
I would like to offer a sincere thank you to all who have responded to this year’s Catholic Service Appeal. From the list below we are happy to report that we have parishes that have met their goal and many that are close to meeting their goal. It is not too late for you to support the Appeal. Please consider your gift. Your generosity allows us to support all of the ministries that define us as the Diocese of Jackson, and that many around the diocese upheld during our listening sessions. For a complete list of those ministries please visit our website at csa.jacksondiocese.org.
2022 Catholic Service Appeal
Yours in Christ,
Visit csa.jacksondiocese.org to make your pledge. PARISH (highlighted equals or exceeds goal )
PARISH GOALS
Aberdeen, St. Francis of Assisi Amory, St. Helen Anguilla, Our Mother of Mercy Mission Batesville, St. Mary Belzoni, All Saints Booneville, St. Francis of Assisi Brookhaven, St. Francis of Assisi Parish Camden, Sacred Heart Canton, Holy Child Jesus Canton, Sacred Heart Carthage, St. Anne Charleston, St. John Clarksdale, Immaculate Conception Clarksdale, St. Elizabeth Cleveland, Our Lady of Victories Clinton, Holy Savior Parish Columbus, Annunciation Conehatta, St. Catherine Mission Corinth, Belmont Catholic Community Corinth, St. James the Less Crystal Springs, St. John Fayette, St. Anne Flowood, St. Paul Forest, St. Martin de Porres (Morton) Forest, St. Michael Fulton, Christ the King Mission Gloster, Holy Family Mission Greenville, Sacred Heart Greenville, St. Joseph Greenwood, Immaculate Heart of Mary Greenwood, St. Francis of Assisi Grenada, St. Peter Hazlehurst, St. Martin of Tours Hernando, Holy Spirit Hollandale, Immaculate Conception Holly Springs, St. Joseph Houston, Immaculate Heart of Mary Indianola, Immaculate Conception Indianola, St. Benedict the Moor Iuka, St. Mary Mission Jackson, Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle Jackson, Christ the King Jackson, Holy Family Jackson, Holy Ghost Jackson, Non-Parish Donor Only Jackson, Saint Dominic Health Services Jackson, St. Richard of Chichester Jackson, St. Therese
$3, 006 $5,715 $1,264 $6,490 $2,915 $1,738 $15,690 $5,108 $3,308 $17,279 $3,738 $1,192 $2,671 $19,602 $19,165 $22,439 $31,124 $515 $115 $7,830 $4,027 $2,176 $61,311 $331 $3,824 $2,308 $1,534 $6,317 $26,654 $12,680 $5,578 $6,253 $3,095 $18,948 $1,139 $3,227 $2,700 $4,659 $2,009 $1,504 $20,515 $10,094 $8,394 $7,789 $5,800 $25,000 $121,759 $13,813
# OF TOTAL PLEGDES PLEGDES 7 31 4 21 5 7 26 5 14 50 3 1 8 50 52 65 48 2 0 19 16 10 131 1 7 9 4 18 34 18 21 27 4 67 1 15 7 5 8 1 67 17 23 48 26 94 20
$1,190 $7,342 $1,875 $7,758 $1,620 $835 $4,249 $495 $2,210 $18,745 $580 $100 $4,900 $7,216 $20,106 $33,578 $10,967 $113 $0 $5,178 $3,784 $1,209 $55,552 $244 $2,806 $1,323 $500 $2,104 $20,472 $9,861 $2,143 $5,224 $1,225 $22,280 $550 $1,621 $2,379 $1,200 $1,615 $350 $24,272 $6,432 $5,754 $10,879 $4,919 $0 $67,146 $3,190
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PARISH Kosciusko, St. Therese Leland, St. James Lexington, St. Thomas Louisville, Sacred Heart Macon, Corpus Christi Mission Madison, St. Francis of Assisi Madison, St. Joseph - Gluckstadt Magee, St. Stephen Magnolia, St. James Mission McComb, St. Alphonsus Meridian, St. Joseph Meridian, St. Patrick Natchez, Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Natchez, Holy Family Natchez, St. Mary Basilica New Albany, St. Francis of Assisi Newton, St. Anne Mission Olive Branch, Queen of Peace Oxford, St. John Paulding, St. Michael Pearl, St. Jude Philadelphia, Holy Cross Philadelphia, Holy Rosary Indian Pearl River, St. Therese Pontotoc, St. Christopher Mission Pontotoc, Vardeman Catholic Community Port Gibson, St. Joseph Parish Raymond, Immaculate Conception Ripley, St. Matthew Mission Robinsonville, Good Shepherd Rosedale, Sacred Heart Roxie, St. John the Baptist (Cranfield) Sardis, St. John the Baptist Mission Senatobia, St. Gregory the Great Shaw, St. Francis of Assisi Shelby, St. Mary Southaven, Christ the King Starkville, St. Joseph Tupelo, St. James Vicksburg, St. Mary Vicksburg, St. Michael Vicksburg, St. Paul Walls, Sacred Heart Southern Missions West Point, Immaculate Conception Winona, Sacred Heart Mission Woodville, St. Joseph Yazoo City, St. Mary
Totals
PARISH GOALS
# OF TOTAL PLEGDES PLEGDES
$2,495 $4,845 $1,807 $4,598 $2,753 $78,532 $40,148 $2,478 $5,169 $21,833 $10,901 $33,187 $5,226
8 7 1 16 0 103 87 13 16 59 13 53 11
$1,716 $343 $50 $8,871 $0 $101,835 $61,923 $1,450 $2,815 $16,561 $2,315 $23,076 $2,042
$7,525 $35,469 $5,195 $802 $20,203 $39,190 $486 $21,886 $7,537 $3,772 $2,610 $5,526 $205
20 77 11 7 90 147 3 62 23 12 5 11 1
$2,040 $49,516 $3,008 $579 $34,378 $45,197 $155 $27,045 $4,789 $2,509 $412 $5,789 $350
$2,997 $1,306 $1,535 $3,955 $969 $130 $3,785 $2,468 $2,850 $1,504 $19,014 $30,881 $44,986 $6,315 $24,574 $20,201 $70,000 $7,649 $1,426 $3,346 $6,720
8 9 11 9 2 4 12 11 7 7 49 57 107 20 53 40 2 18 6 6 26
$2,101 $1,450 $1,016 $882 $600 $130 $2,956 $914 $1,265 $814 $11,418 $16,363 $46,868 $4,080 $21,666 $17,531 $75,000 $8,391 $610 $1,295 $3,687
$1,175,331 2448
$1,007,199
18 YOUTH
MAY 13, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
Crowning Mary YAZOO CITY – St. Mary parish celebrated Mother’s Day with “Mary in the Garden.” Parishioners had a beautiful day of fellowship, the crowning of Mary and praying the Rosary to celebrate mothers. (Photo by Babs McMaster)
MERIDIAN – St. Patrick first graders Christopher Caballero and Fernanda Garcia lead the school Mass and crowning of Mary. (Photo by Emily Thompson)
VICKSBURG – Juniors, Hope Baker and Conner Gaul, crown Mary during St. Aloysius’ May Crowning prayer service.
VICKSBURG – St. Francis Xavier sixth graders lead the schools May Crowning prayer service for elementary students. (Photos by Lindsey Bradley)
MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC MAY 13, 2022
YOUTH 19
Student life at Catholic schools
GREENVILLE – Jasmine and Joe Parish, along with Emma, Madelyn and Matt Clanton enjoy a dinner before they hit the dance floor at the Daddy Daughter Date Night on Friday, April 29. (Photo by Nikki Thompson)
COLUMBUS – Seventh grader, Day Ivy acted as the Queen of Hearts in the Annunciation Middle School musical, Alice in Wonderland. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)
MERIDIAN – St. Patrick first graders Willow Franklin and Jaylene Mendez bring the gifts down the aisle in the schools special May Crowning Mass. (Photo by Emily Thompson)
JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School Kindergartener, Zyon Brown and PreK4 student, Katelyn Kelly presented teachers Barbara Davis and Ethel Jimerson with a class gift basket of sweet treats to show how thankful the students are to have them as their teachers. (Photo by Shae Goodman-Robinson)
JACKSON – St. Richard student, Mary Catherine Vanderloo completed her "Famous Mississippian" project on Sarah Thomas, the NFL's first full-time female official (referee). The entire fourth grade was surprised when Sarah Thomas herself visited the class on Friday, April 29. (Photo by Tammy Conrad)
MAY 13, 2022 MISSISSIPPI CATHOLIC
20 DIOCESE
Pastoral Assignments Rev. Anthony Claret Onyeocha, appointed The following official appointments have The following official appointments were been made and are effective July 1, 2022: pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Woodville and its made effective April 15, 2022: mission Holy Family in Gloster; Rev. Nick Adam, appointed rector of the CaRev. Panneer Arockiam, appointed sacraRev. José de Jesús Sanchez, appointed pastor mental minister of Our Mother of Mercy Mis- thedral of Saint Peter the Apostle in Jackson, in sion in Anguilla, in addition to his current ap- addition to his current appointment as director of St. Joseph Parish in Greenville; pointment as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Yazoo of vocations for the Diocese of Jackson; City and All Saints Parish in Belzoni; Rev. Matthew Simmons, appointed pastor of Rev. Juan Chavajay, appointed pastor of Sa- St. Joseph Parish in Gluckstadt; Rev. Sleeva Mekala appointed pastor of St. cred Heart Parish in Canton; James Parish in Leland and its mission, ImmacRev. Kevin Slattery, appointed sacramental ulate Conception in Hollandale, where he has Rev. Lincoln Dall, vicar general, appointed minister for St. Therese Parish in Jackson, St. been serving as administrator; appointed ad- pastor of Holy Savior Parish in Clinton and its Stephen Parish in Magee and the Carmelite Sisministrator of Immaculate Conception and St. mission Immaculate Conception in Raymond, ters of Jackson; Benedict the Moor Parishes in Indianola; in addition to his current appointment as vicar general; Rev. Manohar Reddy Thanugundla, appointRev. Suresh Thirumalareddy, appointed pased sacramental minister of St. John Parish in tor of St. Alphonsus Parish in McComb, where Deacon John McGregor will be full-time ec- Crystal Springs and its mission, St. Martin, in he has been serving as administrator, in addi- clesial minister for St. Jude Pearl; sacramental Hazlehurst, in addition to his current appointtion to his current appointment as pastor of St. minister will be a new priest coming soon from ment as pastor of St. Francis Parish in BrookhaJames Parish in Magnolia. India; ven. The following official appointment has Rev. Andrew Nguyen, appointed pastor of been made and is effective June 1, 2022: Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Greenwood; Rev. Andrew Bowden, appointed parochial vicar of St. Richard, Jackson. Rev. Joseph Nguyen, SVD, appointed administrator for St. Joseph Parish in Port Gibson, in addition to his current appointment as pastor of St. Mary Parish in Vicksburg;
Father Nick Adam
Father Andrew Bowden
Father Panneer Arockiam
Father Juan Chavajay
Father Andrew Nguyen
Father Joseph Nguyen, SVD
Father Anthony Father José de Claret Onyeocha Jesús Sanchez
Father Manohar Thanugundla
Father Lincoln Dall
Father Suresh Thirumalareddy
Most Reverend Joseph R. Kopacz Bishop of Jackson
Deacon John McGregor
Father Sleeva Mekala
Father Matthew Simmons
Father Kevin Slattery