OCTOBER 28, 2022
mississippicatholic.com
Patron saint, celebrated with Mass and festivities at St. Francis in New Albany By Galen Holley
NEW ALBANY – Parishioners celebrated Mass outdoors on Oct. 16, on a cool, crisp fall morning, with birds and squirrels darting through the pines encircling the yard. What better way to honor the legacy of their patron and namesake of the church, St. Francis of Assisi. “St. Francis was known for loving nature and animals, and for loving others,” said Father Xavier Jesuraj, preaching his homily in front of a crowd of 300, most of them sitting in lawn chairs, others standing around the makeshift soccer and volleyball field that would soon be teeming with energetic athletes. An unpainted statue of the saint, his hand held aloft in pious blessing, stood beside the altar, along with fragrant bouquets of flowers. On the west end of the yard, just behind the church, a Hispanic band, complete with bass, guitar, tambourine and a litany of female singers, serenaded the faithful. During Holy Communion, they sang, “The Prayer of St. Francis,” in Spanish. “Make me a channel of your peace,” they sang. “Where there is despair in life, let me bring hope.” NEW ALBANY – Father Xavier Jesuraj incenses the congregation during the celebration of the Mass at St. Francis Catholics from Tupelo and Ripley of Assisi Church in New Albany on Oct.16. The parish celebrated the feast day of their patron saint with an outdoor Mass. Also present at the altar are, from left, Rosa Garcia, Esmeralda Garcia and altar server, Regina Portis. (Photo by – Continued on page 6 – Galen Holley)
Four recognized for their work in the pro-life movement By Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON – Four new awardees were named this year as recipients of People of Life Awards, chosen by the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities for lifetime contributions to the pro-life cause. Honored at a July dinner for diocesan pro-life leaders and their guests, Mary Huber, Barbara Lyons, Greg Schleppenbach, and the late Laura Jean Ebert joined 37 other recipients since the secretariat established the award in 2007. The award recognizes Catholics who have answered the call outlined by St. John Paul II in his 1995 encyclical "The Gospel of Life" by dedicating themselves to pro-life activities and promoting respect for the dignity of the human person. It is bestowed in honor of their significant and longtime contributions to the culture of life. Huber spent her 24-year career in pro-life ministry at the Diocese of San Bernardino, California, beginning as a part-time bookkeeper and ultimately becoming the director of Respect Life and Pastoral Care for the diocese's Department of Life, Dignity and Justice. Huber worked closely with the California Catholic Conference of Bishops advocating for life-saving protections for unborn children, women, and teen girls at risk for abortion and the elderly at risk for assisted suicide.
She launched the first diocesan Project Rachel program, coordinating training for priests and volunteers and providing bilingual phone counseling as well as abortion healing retreats in English and Spanish. Huber also facilitated mental health programming in parish ministries, particularly for those wounded by abortion, or struggling with end-of-life care. She ultimately developed comprehensive programs to provide educational resources for accompanying the dying during their final journey.
Lyons began pro-life work in 1974 as volunteer president of the Milwaukee County chapter of Wisconsin Right to Life. She joined the staff of Wisconsin Right to Life in 1977 where she served as legislative director for 10 years, becoming executive director in 1987. She also led educational outreach through the Veritas Society media campaign and teen and college training programs. She "retired" from Wisconsin Right to Life in – Continued on page 6 –
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Synod Pope extends Synod of Bishops dates
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From the archives 10 Woodward reminisces on birthday of Bishop Latino
Youth 15 Pictures of youth activities around the diocese