Monthly Archives: June 2015

Class of 2015 leaders profiled, honored . . .

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GREENVILLE ST. JOSEPH
VALEDICTORIAN: katherine anne terracina
GPA: 4.304 – ACT: 32
Member of Greenville St. Joseph Parish
Parents: Donna and Joseph Terracina
From her speech: Terracina wrote her speech as if she were attending her own daughter’s graduation.
… The thought of high school sure could be intimidating at times, but overall I think we all agree it was a time of so much growth. I firmly believe that we blossomed at St. Joe because we were surrounded by awesome classmates, faith and teachers that kept us motivated.
While at Lourdes we learned many things … important things like all 50 states and their capitals, we also learned the importance of treating everyone with kindness … all of us as equals. We learned what true religion is and the meaning of being Catholic. Our teachers were the epitome of what a good educator is – knowledgeable, nurturing and wonderful role models to each and every one of us. … These women were more than just teachers; they were models of how to live your life in a Godly fashion … how we should proceed into our future.
Scholarships: The Johnson Scholarship at Washington and Lee, $262,072, and the Betty W. and Hodding Carter Jr. Family Foundation Scholarship- $2,500.
Awards/honors: Star Student, St. Joseph School Hall of Fame, Chuck Early Humanitarian Award, Coca-Cola Scholastic Award, Mississippi Scholar, Delta Honor Graduate, Herff Jones Principal’s Award, Spirit of Kindness Award, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Attended Duke TIP field studies, attended Congress of Future Medical Leaders in Washington, D.C., Sportsmanship Tennis Award, Tennis All-Star Team and All-State Tennis Team, Individual Girls Doubles State Champion, Tennis State Champions 2014-2015, All-American Cheerleader.
Activities: Dance, piano, cheer captain, soccer, tennis, swim, yearbook editor, school newspaper editor, Carrie Stern mentor, retreat team, Interact Club president, Ambassador at St. Joseph, class president, blood drive organizer, YADA (Youth Against Drugs and Alcohol) president, secretary of Mayor’s Youth Council.
Favorite subject: Math
Favorite service project: Mayors Youth Council: It allows me to be involved in a variety of service projects in my community. We paint parks, clean up trash, volunteer at community events like the Mississippi River Marathon, participate in both park and city-wide clean up days, volunteer in the city Christmas parade and other activities.
Plans to attend: Washington and Lee University to study medicine.

SALUTATORIAN: EMILY MANSOUR
GPA: 4.25  – ACT:  31
Member of Greenville St. Joseph Parish
Parents: Michael and Kathleen Mansour
From her speech: Time is relative … The average lifespan for humans in the United States lasts for 690,220 hours. Therefore, the 60 minutes that we spend here tonight reading and listening to speeches and walking across the stage is relatively minor in the grand scheme of life. What’s more important is the time spent leading up to his moment and the change that this ceremony represents, the relationships that we have built along the way, all of the knowledge that we have gained and the memories that we have shared.
The time each of us has invested in making it to this moment is finally being rewarded. The diplomas that we are handed tonight symbolize all of our hard work that now finally translates into something tangible.
… I encourage the Class of 2015 to welcome change and overcome all of the challenges that we might face after we each go our separate ways. We have learned through faith that in times of triumph it is always most important to give thanks, to remember those who have helped along the way and to offer help to others when possible.

Scholarships: Thomas H. Elliot Scholarship (Washington University in St. Louis), Lindy Callahan scholarship, Junior Auxiliary of Greenville, service excellence scholarship, Greenville Clearinghouse scholarship, Education Foundation of Greenville, Progressive Art and Civic Club’s scholarship, E. J. Lueckenbach memorial scholarship, Coach Powe memorial scholarship.

Awards/honors: Student Government Association president, Honors Graduate, Mississippi Scholar, Delta Council Scholar, Principal’s Recognition Award, Most Likely to Succeed, Hall of Fame, Lindy Callahan State Winner, NISCA All America Interscholastic Academic Team, Mississippi Blood Services Award, Mississippi High School All State Swim Team- First Team, Best of Mississippi Preps First Team All Star Team, Entergy Bright Future Award, Coca-Cola Scholastic Award, Charles S. Kerg Award for Best Senior Female Athlete, third place at National Catholic Swimming Championship, MHSAA Class I State Record, MHSAA Class I State Championship, Swimming Most Valuable Performer, Delta Democrat Times Player of the Week, MHSAA All Region Football Team, MHSAA All Region Softball Team, swim team captain, soccer team captain.

Activities: Student Government Association, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society, Scholars Bowl, School Ambassador, Interact Club, Youth Against Drugs and Alcohol, yearbook editor, school blood drive coordinator, varsity swim, soccer, football, and softball teams, Delta Aquatic Club, Greenville Arts Council Volunteer, Mayor’s Youth Council, Carrie Stern mentor, St. Joseph Church Catholic Youth Organization, St. Joseph Parish lector.
Favorite subject:  Math
Favorite service project: School blood drive
Plans to attend: Washington University in St. Louis to study Liberal Arts.

MADISON ST. JOSEPH
VALEDICTORIAN: Reilly reeves
GPA: 4.38 – ACT: 32
Member of Jackson St. Richard Parish
Parents: David and Carla Reeves
From her speech: St. Joe is an environment that has shown us how to accept responsibilities and most importantly it taught us how to serve. Through service, I became more aware of the value of my education at St. Joe.  While painting classrooms at a Catholic elementary school in Mobile, Alabama, over the summer, I was made aware of how blessed I have been to spend my high school years at St. Joe. The elementary school in Mobile had lost its certificate of occupancy because of unacceptable conditions and would not have opened last August without the service by teens like myself. The service requirement at St. Joe became something I looked forward to over the years.  The work benefited me more than it did the organization I served.
St. Joe instilled in us what it means to be true servants of God and what it means to put another’s needs before our own, displaying the true meaning of our school theme this year, the acronym, JOY: Jesus, Others and Yourself.
…“sing the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”
Scholarships: Valedictorian Scholarship, Mississippi State University Provost Scholarship, Engineering Excellence Scholarship.
Awards/honors: Academic Excellence, Principal’s Honor Roll, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, National English Honor Society, National Latin Honor Society.
Activities: retreat team
Favorite subject: Math
Sports: Track, soccer and cross country.
Favorite service project: “A live in You.”
Plans to attend: Mississippi State University to study engineering.

SALUTATORIAN: THOMAS BENSON
GPA: 4.30 – ACT: 31
Parents: Robert and Brenda Benson
Member of St. Matthews United Methodist Church
From his speech: I enjoyed my time at St. Joe. Whether I was learning in the classroom or participating in extracurricular activities, I was almost always having fun. St. Joe provided a place to get to know classmates, teammates, and teachers. This allowed me to enjoy learning and created a desire within me to learn. This along with the faith based Christian values has helped me to face and overcome challenges. We were taught that God is in control and he has a plan and a purpose for all of us. This faith helped whether I was pitching, studying for exams, or writing essays. These teachings will be what we lean on as we face challenges in the future.
Benson talked about Moses’ faith and perserverance. “When we fail we must learn from our mistakes and persevere, with faith that God will see us through. So go  forth with the faith of Moses and live out your dreams and dream big.”
Scholarships: Academic Excellence scholarship, Mississippi State University Engineering Excellence scholarship, Presidential Excellence scholarship.
Awards/honors: National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National Latin Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta.
Favorite subject: Math
Sports: Baseball, soccer
Plans to attend: Mississippi State University to study engineering.

NATCHEZ CATHEDRAL
VALEDICTORIAN: Jay Vaughan
GPA: 32
Parents: Chris and Susan Vaughan
Member of First Presbyterian Church of Ferriday, La.
From his speech: As many as you know, I love running. It is an activity that tests both physical fitness and mental fitness. Running, I feel, contains many applications to life. We are all running the race, or better yet – the marathon – of life, moving to the finish line and hoping to reach glorious heights. Although sporting races are generally competitive, the race of our lives is not competitive.
… We are not competing with one another for success. We should run the race of life to compete with our individual selves, to achieve individual success. Don’t let what other people are doing, how fast they are “running” affect our own personal race. Your race is the only one that really matter.
… We are all running for our own personal “prize,” not the “prizes” of our friends, families or mentors. The only way to win our personal “prize” is by harnessing our particular talents, our special gifts and our inclinations so that they bring us success and glory.
… I cannot wait to hear all of your successes! … “run your race” proudly; and go for the ultimate, eternal prize, your personal crown.
Scholarships: University of Mississippi Eagle scholarship, Academic Excellence scholarship, Bledsoe scholarship and Valedictorian scholarship, Lindy Callahan scholarship and Musical Arts League of Natchez.
Awards/honors: Cathedral High School’s DAR Good Citizen, CARE Award, three track and field awards, two cross country awards, member of Quiz Bowl 2014 division winning team.
Activities: National Honor Society, Boy Scouts of America, Cathedral Peer Ministry and the math and science teams. Attained Eagle Scout in Oct. 2014.
Sports: Cross country, track and field teams.
Favorite subject: Science
Favorite service project: Eagle Scout project (gazebo and serenity garden at Riverland Medical Center).
Plans to attend: The University of Mississippi to study chemistry.

SALUTATORIAN: Arden hale mcmillin
GPA: 4.406,  – ACT:  29
Parents: Ronnie and Susan McMillin
Member of First Baptist Church, Natchez
From her speech: After mentioning that she complained her way through senior year, she said: I would like to send the Class of 2015 off with a challenge to the future: Do what you love with every breath of every day of your life so you never feel the need to complain.
Pursue a career and lifestyle that attracts you from your very core, tugs at your heartstrings, and engages your whole spirit. Do not put it off or talk yourself out of it for fear of failing because you never really regret what you do – it’s what you do not do.
I have to brag on my class for fearlessly exhibiting incredible diversity and determination so early in life. I know that it is rare to see such conviction in high school students and I pray to our great God with all my heart that the passion in each of you continues to live and thrive all the days of your lives as it has all these years at Cathedral High School. “Seek and ye shall find.” Congratulations to the Class of 2015. Here is to your future and your dreams.
Scholarships: King’s College in New York, LSU with Presidential/Tiger Excellence Award, TOPS scholarship.
Awards/honors: American Legion Award, Junior National Duck Stamp Competition, Letters About Literature essay competition in Mississippi, second place in One Book, One Community essay competition.
Activities: Performing at Natchez Little Theatre, painting, drawing, writing poetry, member of the Key Club, the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, being an extra in films such as Get On Up, Same Kind of Different As Me, Rise Again, and Hot Pursuit.
Favorite subject: AP English Literature
Favorite service project: Working at Natchez Indian Village and Natchez Children’s Home.
Plans to attend: Louisiana State University to study digital arts animation (think Pixar)

VICKSBURG  ST. ALOYSIUS  
 CO-VALEDICTORIAN: Luke Eckstein
GPA: 4.65  –  ACT: 35
Parents: Col. and Mrs. Jeffrey Eckstein
Member of Vicksburg St. Michael Parish
From his speech: When I was writing my speech, I tried to think of one word to perfectly describe this class. Nothing. We are indescribable. To label us as athletic, intelligent or talented is very nice but still misses the target. It’s not that we are not these things, as evidenced through our great sports seasons with multiple championships, our ACT average and a student-written play. It’s that we are all of these things and more.
The Class of 2015 is full of compassionate, loving and faithful servant leaders. In these seats, there are future doctors, veterinarians, engineers, soldiers, lawyers, graphic designers and many more great occupations. But what truly separates our class is our Catholic education. At St. Aloysius, we have dedicated and passionate staff who mentor and foster in us a relationship with God. This is a commodity in rare supply.
… Throughout our years at Vicksburg Catholic School, our class was taught to put other’s needs before our own. In keeping with this lesson, we have become Disciples of Christ dedicated to the well-being of others.
Scholarships: Appointments to West Point, Naval Academy and Cornell.
Awards/honors: U.S. Presidential Scholar, Star Student, Bronze Presidential Service Award.
Activities: Capt. for the Quiz Bowl and Math and Science teams.
Favorite subject: Math and American Government
Sports: Basketball, tennis and track.
His favorite service project: food pantry volunteer.
Plans to attend: West Point (Military Academy) to study chemical engineering.

CO-VALEDICTORIAN: Jacob kitchens
GPA: 4.65  –  ACT: 34
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Steve Kitchens
Member of Crossway Baptist Church
From his speech: … Though memories are great, what is important is that we take what we have learned at St. Aloysius and do great things. Since elementary school we have been taught the value of community and camaraderie. We have learned that success is dependent on working together. We have also been taught the importance of leadership.
Everyone in the Class of 2015 has been leaders in their own right. These skills, in addition to others that we have acquired in the halls of St. Al, will get us far. However, one thing I have learned from someone much smarter than myself is that there are many shiny things out there.
Shiny things are things that distract you from your goals. Will Rogers said that the road to success is dotted with many parking lots. Though we have the ability to go far in life, we need to do our best to avoid the shiny things and stay away from parking lots. We should always work hard and never say enough is enough. We should live life to the fullest, love like we have been loved and pray often.
It’s bittersweet to say goodbye, but I am honored to leave St. Al with the class of 2015, going forward to shock the nation.
Scholarships: Mississippi State University National Merit, Auburn, Louisiana Tech.
Awards/honors: National Merit finalist, Bronze Presidential Service Award.
Activities: Quiz Bowl and Math and Science and Robotics.
Favorite subject: AP physics
Sports: Football
His favorite service project: First Robotics Competition, volunteer with fifth graders.
Plans to attend: Mississippi State University to study mechanical engineering.

SALUTATORIAN: SARAH BETH NEWMAN
GPA: 4.58 – ACT: 33
Parents: Dr. and Mrs. John Kent Newman
Member of Crossway Baptist Church
From her speech: … From the time we set foot in the halls of St. Francis and St. Aloysius, the Class of 2015 has been extraordinary. We have set the bar exceptionally high in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. You don’t have to see far to see that our class is a melting pot of gifted scholars, athletes, artists, writers, performers, leaders and uniquely talented individuals who, above all else, hear the Gospel.
… My fellow classmates, as we go our separate ways I challenge you to stay unforgettable. Never stop striving for excellence in all that you do, never stop seeking to learn more tomorrow than you knew today, never stop leading others in the right direction and most importantly, never stop lacing others before yourself.
I have learned so much from each of you during my time at Vicksburg Catholic School, and I look forward to seeing how the men and women of the St. Aloysius Class of 2015 continue to change the world.
Scholarships: Mississippi State University National Merit, Auburn, Louisiana Tech, University of Birmingham, Rensselaer Poly
Awards/honors: Silver Presidential Service Award.
Activities: Robotics Team, Math and Science team.
Favorite subject: AP physics
Favorite service project: Good Shepherd Community Center and Operation Christmas Child.
Plans to attend: Mississippi State University to study aerospace engineering.

Encyclical to examine connection between environment, economy

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Consumers want products that are environmentally friendly, and businesses that are not on board are already starting to feel the pinch, said the CEO of the multinational Unilever.
Paul Polman, CEO of the company that owns brands like Lipton, Ben & Jerry’s and Suave, told a Vatican-sponsored conference that “the cost of inaction (on climate change) is starting to exceed the cost of action.”
As a small example, he said, people in communities facing regular power outages cannot keep his products in their freezers, and severe water shortages mean they don’t take showers as often, so shampoo sales decline.
Prince Jaime de Bourbon de Parme, the Dutch ambassador to the Holy See and co-sponsor of the conference May 20, described the meeting of business leaders, politicians and ambassadors as the last Vatican-sponsored conference on climate change before the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment.
Although the encyclical has not been published yet, it has triggered pre-emptive criticism, much of it depicting the presumed text as the work of a naive pope who accepts the trendy notion that human activity is responsible for climate change. What is more, some of the criticism expresses fear that the encyclical’s conclusions and call for action will be built upon his supposedly socialist leanings — especially his distrust of the free-market economy.
In reality, when discussing capitalism, Pope Francis has condemned attitudes of greed and idolatry that seem to insist economic activity is somehow free from any moral or ethical obligations. And while he has said he has met many communists who are good people, he adds a firm conviction that the communist ideology “is wrong.”
Like every pope since Pope Leo XIII, who initiated modern Catholic social teaching with his 1891 encyclical “Rerum Novarum,” Pope Francis insists that economic decisions are human decisions and, therefore, are not morally neutral. He also insists that the center of Catholic social teaching — respect for human dignity and promotion of the common good — are values at stake when making economic decisions.
The connection between economics and the environment are clear. Cleaning up pollution and reducing carbon emissions are costly; so, too, is changing the way land is farmed, forests are managed and minerals are obtained.
Yet speakers at the “new climate economy” conference insisted the costs of not acting are higher — morally, financially and politically.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, sent a message to conference participants that began by quoting retired Pope Benedict XVI — not Pope Francis — about how “the earth’s state of ecological health” requires a re-evaluation of shortsighted economic policies and theories.
“When the future of the planet is at stake,” Cardinal Parolin wrote, “there are no political frontiers, barriers or walls behind which we can hide to protect ourselves from the effects of environmental and social degradation. There is no room for the globalization of indifference, the economy of exclusion or the throwaway culture so often denounced by Pope Francis.”
Former Mexican President Felipe Calderon, chairman of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, told the conference that the main obstacle to taking serious action on climate change has been the idea that “we need to choose either (economic) growth or mitigating climate change.”
However, a host of scientific and economic analyses have proven that notion wrong, Calderon said, echoing the conclusion of an earlier Vatican conference on climate change and sustainable development. Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations, headlined that conference in April.
Calderon said governments must give a clear signal at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Paris at the end of the year that they are serious about reducing carbon emissions and promoting investments in the green economy.
“Innovation is the secret to economic growth,” he said, and “people with money are sitting on a bench,” not investing yet, but waiting to see if governments will support new, clean technologies.
Besides being an ethical issue, he said, “climate action is in our own economic interest; we can reduce poverty, increase employment and, at the same time, bring down the emissions responsible for global warming.”
Jeremy Oppenheim, a director at McKinsey & Co., a global management consulting firm, said growth obviously is important for companies and for countries, but “not all growth is equal.”
Successful business leaders are farsighted, innovative and see crises as opportunities, not as roadblocks, conference speakers said.
Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington told the conference that everything Pope Francis has said about ecology is “in total harmony with the teaching of his predecessors,” offering moral and ethical principles flowing from respect for human dignity and for the common good. “If we are going to see a flourishing of the environment,” the cardinal said, “it is only going be through human ingenuity.” “Protecting the environment need not compromise legitimate economic progress,” he said. The church does not condemn profit, but it does insist that “businesses must serve the common good.”

Hospitalization leads to spiritual realization

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Word on Fire
By Father Robert Barron
Last week I spent six days at a place only about a ten-minute drive from my home, but I had, nevertheless, entered a country as “foreign” to my experience as Botswana or Katmandu. Hospitalland. I was brought in for an emergency appendectomy and then had to undergo a second surgery, due to complications.
As a priest, of course, I had visited Hospitalland many times, but I had never actually lived in it for an extended period. Hospitalland has its own completely unique rhythms, customs, language, and semiotic systems.
For example, the normal rhythm of day and night is interrupted and overturned. You are only vaguely aware of the movement of the sun across the sky, and people come barging into your room as regularly at two in the morning as two in the afternoon. Relatedly, the usual distinctions between public and private simply evanesce in Hospitalland.
As my mother told me many years ago, “When you enter the hospital, you place your modesty in a little bag and leave it by the door.” Nurses, nursing aides, medical students, doctors, surgeons, tech assistants — all of them have license to look over any part of your anatomy, pretty much whenever they want. At first, I was appalled by this, but after a few days, I more or less acquiesced.
Hospitalland has its own very distinctive language, largely conditioned by numbers: blood pressure rates, temperature, hemoglobin counts, etc. It was actually a little bit funny how quickly I began to banter with the nurses and doctors in this arcane jargon.
But for me the characteristic of Hospitalland is passivity. When you pass through the doors of the hospital, you simply hand your life over to other people. They transport you, clean you, test you, make you wait for results (an excruciating form of psychological torture, by the way), tell you what you have to undergo next, poke you, prod you, take blood out of you and cut into you.
And this is of more than merely psychological interest. It has, indeed, far-reaching spiritual implications. As I lay on my back in Hospitalland, a phrase kept coming unbidden into my mind: “the divinization of one’s passivities.” This is a line from one of the great spiritual works of the twentieth century, The Divine Milieu by the French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. In that seminal text, Teilhard famously distinguished between the divinization of one’s activities and the divinization of one’s passivities. The former is a noble spiritual move, consisting in the handing over of one’s achievements and accomplishments to the purposes of God.
A convinced Jesuit, Teilhard desired to devote all that he did (and he did a lot) ad majorem Dei gloriam (to the greater glory of God).  But this attitude, Teilhard felt, came nowhere near the spiritual power of divinizing one’s passivities. By this he meant the handing over of one’s suffering to God, the surrendering to the Lord of those things that are done to us, those things over which we have no control.
We become sick; a loved one dies suddenly; we lose a job; a much-desired position goes to someone else; we are unfairly criticized; we find ourselves, unexpectedly, in the valley of the shadow of death. These experiences lead some people to despair, but the spiritually alert person should see them as a particularly powerful way to come to union with God.
A Christian would readily speak here of participating in the cross of Christ. Indeed how strange that the central icon of the Christian faith is not of some great achievement or activity, but rather of something horrible being done to a person. The point is that suffering, offered to God, allows the Lord to work his purpose out with unsurpassed power.
In some ways, Teilhard’s distinction is an echo of St. John of the Cross’s distinction between the “active” and “passive” nights of the soul. For John, the dark night has nothing to do with psychological depression, but rather with a pruning away of attachments that keep one from complete union with God. This pruning can take a conscious and intentional form or it can be something endured. In a word, we can rid ourselves of attachments — or God can do it for us. The latter, St. John thinks, is far more powerful and cleansing.
I certainly wouldn’t actively seek to go back to that land, but perhaps God might send me there again. May I have the grace to accept it as a gift.
(Father Robert Barron is the founder of the global ministry, Word on Fire, and the Rector/President of Mundelein Seminary. He is the creator of the award winning documentary series, “Catholicism”  and “Catholicism:The New Evangelization.” Learn more at www.WordonFire.org.)

Special teens use electronics for evangelization

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Reflections on Life
By Father Jerome LeDoux, SVD
“Father, I’m in town. Could a couple of my friends and I come by for confessions this afternoon?”
The phone call request had a familiar ring. Usually away for school, teenage Irish Travelers call frequently for confessions when in town. On the one hand, they are a congenial, delightful bunch of youngsters, but on the other hand they are very serious about their spiritual life. So I smiled and told them to come right over.
Three young ladies ranging from 15 to 17 came bustling in when I greeted them at the door. I can always rest assured that they will make themselves at home, raiding the unsalted, roasted pistachios and peanuts a bit, lolling around on the easy chairs and chatting nonstop about this, that and who knows what. Well disciplined, two stayed in the living room while one went to the secretary’s room for confession.
Those teenagers always give me a taste of the electronic age, sometimes using a cell phone to refresh their memory on the way of going to confession, at times just dialing up the list of DOs and DON’Ts that they can use to talk about their omissions and commissions. They might dial up the act of contrition to boot. They are quite electrified with modern gadgets, but nonetheless an electrifying group of youngsters, not allowing their cell phones to interfere with their social life.
As is customary among late-teenage Travelers, never far off is a discussion about an impending engagement or even the prospect of marriage. Despite the item of their yet-tender age, the heavy conversations on the weighty subject of the holy sacrament of matrimony invariably come up. Of course, negative experiences push me to slow down in the very young their desire to wed before they are mature.
Emotional, social and spiritual maturity in young ladies is generally achieved around their early twenties, but males usually lag years behind in achieving the same level of maturity. Keep in mind that severe immaturity is one of the main reasons marriage tribunals cite for granting the annulment of a marriage.
After the three had completed their confessions, I returned to the living room. Feet drawn up and holding their knees, two of the girls were squeezed together in one easy chair, looking for all the world like a duo of tiger cats. Yet, in spite of all that, far from being predators, they were likable and lovable teenagers.
Their mission accomplished, they socialized with me for a short while, then decided it was time to go. Hardly had I seen them out the door when I returned to the living room and spotted coins on the floor. It was an arresting sight, mainly because the youngsters had obviously left them there on display: 16 pennies, three nickels, three dimes, eight quarters, one Canadian dollar. It had to be the two tiger cats who went on a fishing expedition with their fingers down in the easy chair, discovering and extracting the unsuspected bounty lost over a period of several years.
That lineup of coins on the floor visible to anyone in the room bespoke a deep-set honesty in the trio of teenagers, any of whom could have made off with them without a trace, especially since I had no idea that the coins were there. More than any words could say, this incident bore witness to their trustworthiness.
It reminded me of my birthday two years ago when 21 of those youngsters trooped into the rectory armed with a small vegan birthday cake, candles and all. Hands down, it was the most memorable birthday I have ever experienced. Their thoughtfulness for someone five times their age was inspiring and touching.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of the teenagers was their spontaneous, unsolicited thought about making someone happy who perhaps was not being thought of much as he moved into the higher tiers of longevity. I am sure that all adults would like to see such qualities in all the teenagers in our lives.
With such thoughtfulness in their social and spiritual arsenal, it is no wonder that those teenage Travelers do not let their cell phones block their communication with those around them. Except where alert and tough-love parents intervene with prompt sternness and resolve, it is a veritable plague among youngsters – and some young adults as well – that cell phone use, texting, etc. sabotage family conversation at the table, in the living room, outside in picnic conditions and even in church.
We have a lot to learn from our teenagers, especially the Travelers. Other teenagers must learn to be alert and to learn from their inspiring peers.
(Father Jerome LeDoux, SVD, is pastor of Our Mother of Mercy Parish in Fort Worth, Texas. He has written “Reflections on Life since 1969.)

Bishop’s Ball honors Good Samaritans, raises money

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Photos and text
By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – An almost sold-out Bishop’s Ball drew people from across the Jackson area to the Country Club of Jackson Saturday, June 6. The crowd bid on a number of silent auction items including fine art, jewelry, trips, home and patio accessories and more. During dinner, Catholic Charities honored Archie R. McDonnell Jr., of Citizens National Bank and Beth and Robert Gaston with the Good Samaritan Award for their dedication to the mission of Catholic Charities.
A lively live auction featured furniture, a trip to Italy with Bishop Joseph Kopacz and other items.
After dinner, the band These Days packed the dance floor. The Bishop’s Ball is the main fund-raising event for Catholic Charities’ Children’s Programs.

Parishes invited to plan Fortnight for Freedom services

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WASHINGTON (CNS) – Threats to religious freedom continue to emerge, making it more urgent for people of faith to take action to defend the full realm of religious practice, said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore.
Speaking during a May 28 webinar announcing the fourth annual Fortnight for Freedom, Archbishop Lori called on Catholics to learn about the importance of religious liberty throughout the history of the United States and to actively promote free religious practice during the two-week period beginning June 21.
This year’s fortnight observance will open with Mass at 9:45 a.m. June 21 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. It closes with Mass at 11a.m. July 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.
The Diocese of Jackson invites parish leaders to plan their own services for Fortnight for Freedom, sharing resources and ideas from USCCB with pastors, lay ecclesial ministers and community leaders.
“Religious freedom is not something that stands alone. It’s not simply a legal question for the church. It pertains very much to the new evangelization,” Archbishop Lori explained.
This year’s fortnight observance theme is the “Freedom to Bear Witness,” stemming from the Gospel message that Jesus came to the world to bear witness to the truth, explained Hillary Byrnes, assistant general counsel for the USCCB, who joined the archbishop during the webinar.
She said dozens of local events in dioceses across the country are planned, including prayer services, discussions and charitable works.
“We’re looking this year to raise awareness of religious freedom so people don’t take it for granted,” she added.
Archbishop Lori said government policies, such as the federal mandate to include a full range of contraceptives in employee health insurance and the redefinition of marriage throughout the country, pose growing threats to religious freedom.
The fortnight, he said, also is meant to draw attention to the dangers to religious liberty around the world as Christians and people of other faith traditions face persecution, limits on their freedom and death.
“Pope Francis pointed out that we are truly living in an age of martyrs,” the archbishop said. “I think we have to pay a lot of attention to the sacrifices which people are making for their faith around the world. Many Christians are being persecuted, beheaded. And Muslims are being persecuted for not being Muslim enough.
“These are men and women of deep faith and deep courage, and as we witness their sacrifice, first of all I think we have to hold up and to highlight what’s happening to them. I’m not sure our leadership is paying enough attention to their sacrifice.”
Information about the fortnight and various resources to help plan local observances are available online at www.Fortnight4Freedom.com and on page 13 of this issue. Share celebrations with Mississippi Catholic by emailing photos and information to editor@mississippicatholic.com.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
BROOKSVILLE The Dwelling Place retreat, “The Psalms: My Book of Prayer,” June 20, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost is $35 and includes lunch. Details: 662-738-5348.
CHATAWA St. Mary of the Pines Retreat Center, eighth annual, “Speak Lord I’m Listening,” retreat for men and women using the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Friday-Sunday, July 24-27. Led by Father Bill Henry. Cost is $140 per person, double occupancy, $160 per person for single rooms and $40 for commuters. Details: Charlene Brown, 601-248-4310.
CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth Parish, Mass on Thursdays at 12:10 p.m. until school starts back.
McCOMB St. Alphonsus Parish, last two classes of “An Introduction to the Theology of the Body,” Wednesdays, June 17, and 24. Led by Jason Angelette, co-director of Faith & Marriage, New Orleans. Details: Margaret Weathersby, 601-754-5554.

PARISH, SCHOOLS & FAMILY EVENTS
CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories Parish, presentation of the options for the renovation of the church, Wednesday, June 17, at 7 p.m.
– Vacation Bible school, July 12-16 from 6 – 8 p.m. Volunteers needed. Details: Jennifer, 662-402-7050.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph Parish, family picnic and movie night, Friday, July 10 at 6 p.m. Hot dogs and homemade ice cream will be provided.
GRENADA St. Peter Parish is seeking musicians and singers. Details: Karla Houston, 662-417-2333, JoAnn Gonzales, 662-417-4551.
– A statue of St. Joseph with the Child Jesus has been ordered in memory of Father Martin Ruane. Mark donations “memorial statue” and add to the collection basket.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit Parish will celebrate three Masses as a Father’s Day spiritual remembrance for fathers, grandfathers, and godfathers living and deceased beginning with Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21, and on Wednesdays, Aug. 5 and Sept. 9. Look for envelopes in the pews to participate.
JACKSON Catholic Charities Human Trafficking Awareness Workshop, Saturday, June 27, from 8:30 a.m. – noon at St. Richard Parish, Foley Hall. Details: Dorothy Balser, 601-326-3725.
– Parish-Based Ministries of Catholic Charities Poverty Task Force meets the third Wednesday of each month, (June 17) from 12:30 – 2 p.m. at the Catholic Charities downtown office.  Members are committed to standing with the poor and vulnerable through concrete acts of charity and justice. Details: Dorothy Balser, 601-326-3725, dorothy.balser@ccjackson.org.
JACKSON Christ the King Parish vacation Bible school, June 22-26 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room.
“Taste of Christ the King,” Saturday, June 27, from 2 – 5 p.m. in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the parish. Tickets are $5. The event is open to the public.
JACKSON St. Richard Parish, Bereavement Support Group will meet on Thursday, July 9, at 6:30 p.m in the Mercy Room. Details: Nancy McGhee, 601-942-2078, ncmcghee@bellsouth.com
JACKSON St. Peter Parish summer picnic and bingo, Saturday, June 20, from  noon – 2 p.m. Details: RSVP to 601-969-3125.
MADISON St. Joseph School sale of used uniform items on Saturdays, June 20 and July 18, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the library. Donations of uniforms can be dropped off at the Administration Building at the front office. Details: Paula Morgan, 601-573-1244, henryandpaula@bellsouth.net.
– Fifth annual Booster Club Bruin Burn 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Fun Run, Saturday, July 18. Registration is now underway for the race which will begin and end at St. Anthony Catholic School, 1585 Old Mannsdale Road, behind St. Joseph. Details: Mike Crandall, 601-953-1817, mcrandall84@comcast.net or Bubba Garrard, 601-668,8571,  or bgarrard06@gmail.com.
MERIDIAN Xavier University Meridian Alumni Chapter, “Juneteenth Celebration,” first annual legacy jazz brunch featuring Meridian jazz artist and New Orleans food, Saturday, June 20, at St. Joseph Kehrer Hall from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Details: Dr. Otis Gowdy, Otis_gowdy@comcast.net; Anny Ramsey, 601-693-2161.
_ St. Patrick Parish vacation Bible school, July 13-16 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. for children who have completed kindergarten through fifth grade. Details: Marilyn Winkel, 601-484-8955, mwinkel@bellsouth.net.
NATCHEZ Compassionate Care Hospice, 113 Jefferson Davis Blvd., Suite A, sponsors a grief and loss support group meeting on the second Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. Details: 601-442-6800, 1-855-642-6800 (toll free).
PEARL St. Jude Parish, Mass celebration of the 25th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood of Father Jeffrey Waldrep, pastor, Tuesday, June 16, at 6 p.m. followed by a reception in the parish hall.
SHAW St. Francis of Assisi Parish summer social, (cookout) Sunday, June 28, at 6 p.m.
YAZOO CITY St. Mary Parish needs volunteers to help with a project in the summer to teach young people learn about the rosary. Details: Diane Melton.

RCIA WORKSHOP 2015
JACKSON The diocesan Office of Religious Education and Faith Formation will offer a Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) workshop on Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Madison St. Francis Parish. The guest speaker is Mary Birmingham, director of music, Liturgy and Christian Initiation at Ascension Catholic Church in Melbourne, Fla.
Information will be provided on the resources available to use with participants. Cost is $25 per participant which includes lunch; $20 per person if three or more come from same parish.
Birmingham is the author of Year-Round Catechumenate, the Word & Worship Workbook series, and the new Faith, Life and Creed series. Details: Fran Lavelle, 601-960-8473 or fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org.

IN MEMORIAM
FOND DU LAC, Wis. – A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Joellen Flynn was celebrated on May 11. Sister   Flynn, a Sister of St. Agnes (CSA), died May 6 at Nazareth Center. She served as elementary teacher for 36 years in Kansas, New York, Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. She later ministered for 15 years as a teacher and teacher aid in the Diocese of Jackson in Camden, Indianola, Thomastown and Carthage.
Burial took place at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery. Memorials can be directed to the Ministry of “Adelante Mujer, Inc.,” an organization which offers medical scholarships to women in Nicaragua, 375 Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, WI 54935, Attn: Sister Ann Mckean.

SPECIAL NEED
HERNANDO Sacred Heart Southern Missions Thrift Store is accepting clothing, all household items, furniture, blankets, toys, books and holiday items, any unused makeup, creams or nail polish. Proceeds go towards the food pantries. Details: Laura, 662-342-3316.
Drop boxes are located in the parking lots at Sacred Heart School and at Christ the King Church in Southaven. Details: Laura at 662-342-3316.
Shopping hours are 10 a.m. – 6-p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. New hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays are 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.