MARCH 13, 2026
mississippicatholic.com
Sister Thea Bowman had a ‘loving heart,’ ‘prophetic spirit’ and ‘boundless stamina,’ bishop says BY JENNIFER BRINKER
JACKSON (OSV News) – Servant of God Thea Bowman was a beacon for the Church to embrace more authentically the essence of what it means to be Catholic, Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz told Massgoers at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson. “To love the Lord your God with your whole heart, mind, soul and strength, and your neighbor as yourself portrays her lifelong commitment,” he said in his homily at a Feb. 9 Mass of thanksgiving marking the conclusion of the diocesan phase of Sister Thea’s canonization cause. “Her loving heart, her prophetic spirit, her brilliant mind and boundless stamina, even in illness, inspired many.” The Mass was attended by friends and acquaintances of Sister Thea, representatives from her religious order, the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual
JACKSON – Emanuele Spedicato, postulator for the cause of Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, places the final document into a box as witnesses Fabvienen Taylor, notary for the cause, and Bishop Joseph Kopacz look on Feb. 9 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. The boxes containing documentation for Sister Thea’s cause were sealed and sent to Rome. (Photo by Joanna King) More photos at jacksondiocese.zenfolio.com.
Adoration, members of the historical commission who were part of the diocesan investigation, students from Sister Thea Bowman School in Jackson and St. Anthony School in Madison, in addition to faithful from across the Diocese of Jackson and beyond. An official closing session of the diocesan phase of the canonization process followed the Mass, where the cause’s leaders ceremoniously sealed several boxes containing the diocesan phase’s documents and findings. In all, 10 boxes containing two sets of documents including more than 15,000 pages each, will be sent to the apostolic nunciature in Washington and then transferred to the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, which will further investigate the cause. Bishop Kopacz, the main celebrant at the Mass, was among several bishops who witnessed
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Sorrow, shock, prayer for Catholics in Middle East as US and Israel strike Iran, igniting war BY GINA CHRISTIAN
(OSV News) – Catholics across the Middle East are reeling with shock and sorrow, and responding with prayer, amid joint strikes Israeli and U.S. forces launched on Iran Feb. 28, plunging the region into war. The U.S. and Israel revealed that Iran’s supreme leader, 86-yearold Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei, is among the country’s senior leaders killed in the initial assault, which targeted Tehran and cities across Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump described the attacks as part of “major combat operations” to overthrow Iran’s regime in order to “defend the American people.” Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the Feb. 28 “preemptive strike” against Iran, with a state of emergency declared across Israel. Iran has retaliated with counterstrikes, targeting Israel and several U.S.-interest locations across a number of Middle East nations.
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Casualties on all sides – including countries caught in the crossfire – are still being assessed amid the ongoing exchanges. Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, claimed that a girls’ school in Minab was bombed in the U.S.-Israeli air assault and showed a photo. “Dozens of innocent children have been murdered at this site alone,” he said. “These crimes against the Iranian People will not go unanswered.” U.N. Secretary General António Guterres begged “all parties to return immediately to the negotiating table,” warning “the alternative is a potential wider
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Service Awards 7 Diocesan faithful receive Bishop Chanche Medals
From the archives 12 Sister Thea’s cause heads to the Vatican
Youth 14 Photos of youth activities around the diocese