Accepting limitations opens prayer paths

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
What most moves your heart? I was asked this question recently at a workshop. We were asked to respond to this question: When do you most naturally feel compassion in your heart? For me, the answer came easily. I am most moved when I see helplessness, when I see someone or something helpless to tend to its own needs and to protect its own dignity.
It might be baby, hungry and crying, too little to feed itself and to safeguard its own dignity. It might be a woman in a hospital, sick, in pain, dying, helpless to get better, also unable to attend to her own dignity. It might be an unemployed man, down on his luck, unable to find work, the odd man out when everyone else seems to be doing great. It might be a little girl on the playground, helpless as she is teased and bullied, suffering indignity. Or it might just be a baby kitten, hungry, helpless, pleading with its eyes, unable to speak or attend to its own need. Helplessness tugs at the heart. I am always touched in the softest place inside me by helplessness, by the pleading of finitude. I suspect we all are.
We’re in good company. This is what moved Mary, Jesus’ mother, at the Wedding Feast of Cana to go over to Jesus and say: “They have no wine!” Her request here has different layers of meaning. At one level, it is a very particular request at a particular occasion in history; she is trying to save her hosts at a wedding from embarrassment, from suffering an indignity.
No doubt the shortage of wine was due to some poverty on their part, either a shortage of money or a shortage of good planning, but, either way, they stood to be embarrassed before their guests. But, as with most things in the Gospels, this incident has a deeper meaning. Mary isn’t just speaking for a particular host on a particular occasion. She’s also speaking universally, as the mother of humanity, Eve, voicing for all of us what John Shea so aptly calls, “the cries of finitude.”
What is finitude? The finite, as we can see from the word itself, contrasts itself to the infinite, to what is not limited, to God. God, alone, is not finite. God, alone, is self-sufficient. God, alone, is never helpless, and God, alone, never needs help from anyone else. Only God is never subject to sickness, hunger, tiredness, irritation, fatigue, bodily and mental diminishment and death. God, alone, never has to suffer the indignity of need, of getting caught short, of inadequate self-expression, of not measuring up, of being embarrassed, of being bullied, of being unable to help Himself, and of having to beg silently with His eyes for someone to come and help.
Everything else is finite. Thus, as humans, we are subject to helplessness, illness, lameness, blindness, hunger, tiredness, irritation, diminishment and death. Moreover, within all these, we are also subject to indignity. So many of our words and actions are, in the end, cries of finitude, cries for assistance, the cries of a baby for food, for warmth, for protection and for a safeguard from indignity. Although we are infinitely more sophisticated in our humanity, we are all still, at one level, the baby kitten, pleading with our eyes for someone to feed us, and all the assertions of self-sufficiency of the rich, the strong, the healthy, the arrogant, and of those who seemingly need no help are in the end nothing other than attempts to keep helplessness at bay.
Not matter how strong and self-sufficient we might believe ourselves to be, finitude and mortality admit of no exemptions. Tiredness, illness, diminishment, death, and painful hungers will eventually find us all. Our wine too will eventually run out. Hopefully someone like the Mother of Jesus will speak for us: They have no wine!
What’s the lesson in this? A number of things:
First, recognizing our finitude can lead to a healthier self-understanding. Knowing and accepting our finitude can help quell a lot of frustration, restlessness and false guilt in our lives.
I once had a spiritual director, an elderly nun, who challenged me to live by this axiom: Fear not, you are inadequate. We need to forgive ourselves for our own limits, for the fact that we are human, finite, and are unable to provide ourselves and those around us all that we need. But inadequacy is a forgivable condition, not a moral fault.
Beyond forgiving ourselves for our helplessness, recognizing and accepting our finitude should challenge us too to hear more clearly the cries of finitude around us. And so whether it’s the cry of a baby, the humiliation in the eyes of someone looking for work, the ravaged eyes of the terminally ill patient or simply the pleading eyes of a young kitten, we need, like Mary, to take up their cause and ensure that someone spares them from indignity by changing their water into wine, by calling out: They have no wine!
(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX.)

Bishop Houck remembered for dedication to education, missionary work

JACKSON (CNS) – Retired Bishop William R. Houck of Jackson, who led the diocese from 1984 to 2003 and in recent years had served as president of Catholic Extension, died March 9 at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson. He was 89.
“It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I announce the death of our beloved former bishop,” Jackson Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz said in a statement.
He said Bishop Houck had been recovering from a recent single bypass surgery for blockage in a main artery before taking “a turn for the worse.”

Bishop Houck and Bishop Latino greet Pope Benedict XVI during a 2012 visit to Rome.(CNS photo)

Bishop Houck and Bishop Latino greet Pope Benedict XVI during a 2012 visit to Rome.(CNS photo)

“We rejoice in the confident knowledge that he is at peace,” the bishop added.
The reception of Bishop Houck’s body took place at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson the afternoon of March 15, followed by a viewing that evening and the next day and evening, to be followed by a vigil service.
The funeral Mass was to be celebrated at the cathedral midday March 17. After the Mass, the bishop was to be buried in the bishop’s cemetery next to the cathedral.
In 2001, when he was 75, Bishop Houck turned in his resignation to St. John Paul II as required by canon law, but as he told Catholic News Service in an interview some years ago, he mentioned in the resignation letter he would like to be considered for the presidency of Catholic Extension because he was so impressed with it. He was appointed its president, a post he held until retiring in 2007.
“We will greatly miss his joyful spirit, his guidance and wisdom and his dedication to spreading the good news,” said Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich, chancellor of Chicago-based Catholic Extension. The organization helps pay for church construction, religious education, outreach ministries, salaries and operating expenses in mission areas in the U.S.

Bishop Houck rejoices at a chancery celebration of his 80th birthday. (Mississippi Catholic file photos)

Bishop Houck rejoices at a chancery celebration of his 80th birthday. (Mississippi Catholic file photos)

In a March 10 statement, the archbishop added that Catholic Extension “mourns the loss of a true servant leader who dedicated much of his life and ministry to helping build the Catholic faith in America’s under-resourced dioceses.”
Bishop Houck, a native of Mobile, Alabama, was born June 6, 1926, to William and Mildred Houck.
He studied at St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore and earned his master’s degree from The Catholic University of America in Washington. He was ordained a priest in 1951.
After his ordination, he served as parish priest and also spent more than two decades in education, including 18 years as a high school principal and a few years as superintendent of Catholic Schools in what was then the Diocese of Mobile-Birmingham, Alabama. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop for the Jackson Diocese in 1979 and was installed as its bishop in 1984.
During his tenure as head of the diocese, he focused on many issues involving education and evangelization. He was chairman of the U.S. bishops’ evangelization committee and helped develop and publish the document: “Go and Make Disciples: A National Strategy for Catholic Evangelization,” which is still in use. He also was actively involved in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.
Bishop Houck also was a member of several national Catholic boards and the Mississippi Governor’s Task Force on Infant Mortality. He was also president of Ecumenical Health Care Organization for Whispering Pines, a hospice ministry for AIDS patients whose families had abandoned them.

Saint John Paul II ordains Bishop Houck in Rome. Almost 30 bishops were ordained by the then-pope during one Mass.

Saint John Paul II ordains Bishop Houck in Rome. Almost 30 bishops were ordained by the then-pope during one Mass.

In a 2003 interview with Catholic News Service, the bishop said he always thought he would work in mission territory after he was ordained.
Even though he was primarily involved in education, he said, his life had been “kind of lived in mission territory in this country. I’m aware personally and vividly of what Catholic Extension has done to reach the Catholic Church in mission territory.”
During Bishop Houck’s presidency, Catholic Extension sent more than $84 million to more than 4,000 communities. The bishop also dedicated about $5 million of Catholic Extension’s resources to help rebuild the church’s infrastructure in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.
Father Jack Wall, who succeeded Bishop Houck as Catholic Extension president, said the group received the news of the bishop’s death “with great sadness and, at the same time, a deep and heartfelt gratitude” for his work.
He said the bishop brought wisdom to his position “grounded in his lifelong experience of serving in the missions of the deep South and a passion for helping the poor. He really had a pastor’s heart.”

Bishop Houck places ashes on the forehead of a baby on Ash Wednesday in the cathedral in this undated photo.

Bishop Houck places ashes on the forehead of a baby on Ash Wednesday in the cathedral in this undated photo.

He also noted that Bishop Houck had “a deep spiritual joy about him” and keen insight about the needs and concerns of mission dioceses. (Father Wall’s full statement.)
When he was named president of Catholic Extension, he moved to Chicago, but he moved back to Jackson in 2007. He still played an active role as president emeritus of the national organization.
The bishop is survived by a sister, Millie Houck Reilly (Warren) of Mobile; his brother-in-law, Richard Hebert of Jennings, Louisiana; several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister Elizabeth Houck Hebert and a brother, Ray.

After faith, good sense of humor, most important thing in life

By Msgr. Michael Flannery
I worked closely with Bishop Houck and served as his Judicial Vicar for eight years and as his Vicar General for nine years. I can say that he was a true southern gentleman and had tremendous work ethic. He loved his priesthood and serving the church. He lived a full active life all of his life and was in relative good health until the end. He came to the office every day and seldom if ever took a day off.

Bishop Joseph Latino, (left)  newly ordained to the Diocese of Jackson, Msgr. Michael Flannery, then-vicar general, St. John Paull II and Bishop Houck in Rome in November 2004. Bishop Houck was retired, but was in Rome with Extension when Bishop Latino made his first ad limina visit so the three visited the pope together. (Mississippi Catholic Archive Photo)

Bishop Joseph Latino, (left) newly ordained to the Diocese of Jackson, Msgr. Michael Flannery, then-vicar general, St. John Paull II and Bishop Houck in Rome in November 2004. Bishop Houck was retired, but was in Rome with Extension when Bishop Latino made his first ad limina visit so the three visited the pope together. (Mississippi Catholic Archive Photo)

Working as closely as I did with him over the years, I learned a great deal about him. He was a man of a very deep faith and put the Lord first in his life. He was a man of prayer. Anytime he had a difficult problem he turned it over to the Lord in prayer. After his prayer time, he usually knew what to do and he was a decisive man. Once he made a decision that was it.
On numerous occasions when we would be discussing some problem or other he would say to me: “Mike, I need to pray about that.” I knew then that he needed his space to bring it to the Lord. He was a workaholic. He came to the office usually at nine in the morning and he would not leave until nine at night. He worked Saturdays and Sundays.
Bishop Houck took all his responsibilities seriously and he loved to minister to people. At confirmation time which was usually during the Easter Season he would travel all over the diocese, comprising of 65 counties, celebrating confirmations. He liked to have a designated driver for these excursions and he would read every letter the candidates had sent him. During his homily he would weave some of those writings and make the homily personal every time.
I remember one incident in particular. It was right before 9/11. I had driven him to the airport in Jackson so that he could attend a meeting of a bishops’ committee of the United States Catholic Conference. Nine eleven took place the following day and the whole country came to a stand-still. There were no planes flying. He was stuck in Washington, D.C. for four days. He had nothing to do and it was driving him crazy. He was just about to rent a car and drive back to Jackson when they opened the airports again. He was on one of the first flights that arrived in Jackson and was interviewed by the press as to his experience.
Bishop Houck would always say to me: “After faith, a good sense of humor is the most important thing in life.”  I loved that man. I would do anything for him. In a way we were kindred spirits. I am a workaholic and so was he. He would say about me: “Never give anything to Flannery unless you are absolutely sure that is what you want him to do. Because when you look around the project is complete.”
One humorous incident that involved Bishop Houck was the service one year on Holy Saturday night at St. Peter the Apostle Cathedral. It so happened that Msgr. Noel Foley of happy memory, was the pastor at the time. He had ordered a paschal candle and it came in on the first week of Lent. However the candle was broken and he sent it back to the church supply company believing that they would send a replacement. The candle never came.

Bishop Francisco Villalobos with Bishop Houck and Msgr. Flannery at the installation of Father Michael Thornton at San Miguel in Saltillo, Mexico, in 1973. (Mississippi Catholic Archive Photo)

Bishop Francisco Villalobos with Bishop Houck and Msgr. Flannery at the installation of Father Michael Thornton at San Miguel in Saltillo, Mexico, in 1973. (Mississippi Catholic Archive Photo)

Msgr. Foley ended up with a well-used paschal candle. It was only about six inches tall. I commented to him that the candle was more a symbol of death than it was resurrection. Msgr. Foley called upon the ladies of the parish to assist him. One of them was very creative and took the candle and placed it in a cardboard roller used for altar cloths. Then she covered it with while paper and decorated the outside beautifully. It looked gorgeous and was six feet tall.
Bishop Houck did not know it was a fake candle. There is one part of the ceremony when the paschal candle is placed in the baptismal water. When Bishop Houck placed the candle in the water there was a sucking sound as the water penetrated the cardboard exterior. Bishop Houck began to take the candle out of the water and there was water pouring out from all sides. It was an embarrassing moment for him because he was very particular about celebrating liturgy.
Another story that comes to mind was the time Bishop Houck invited the Methodist and Episcopal bishops and their wives to dinner. Since Bishop Houck did not have a wife he invited me to come as his significant other. The three bishops had a custom of meeting every month for breakfast and they would discuss pastoral issues on which they could collaborate. Bishop Meadows, the Methodist bishop, was being transferred so the dinner was a going-away party. We were enjoying the hors d’oeuvres when Bishop Meadows asked to see Bishop Houck’s upstairs chapel. Bishop Meadows noticed a telephone and challenged Bishop Houck about the phone. Why have a phone in a chapel? Bishop Houck was embarrassed so I stepped in to say “Bishop Meadows, you have to understand, that is no ordinary phone. In fact, it is a direct line to the Lord –and from here it is a local call!”
Even in retirement, Bishop Houck kept abreast with the most recent developments. He was a regular visitor to the Vatican website and the National Conference of Catholic Bishops webpage. He had a tremendous energy level given his age. He had a keen reflective mind and he did not miss much. He was close to all his family members and would call each of them every week.
I will miss Bishop Houck. He was a close friend and confidant and a great mentor to me. I will always be indebted to him for his spiritual guidance and wisdom. I will continue to cherish the memories I have of him for years to come.
(Msgr. Flannery is working in the Tribunal for the Diocese of Jackson, although he is technically retired from ministry.)

Last words: Bishop Houck’s final meditation for Extension focused on Passion

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bishop William Houck was a prolific writer. Even in retirement, he wrote a weekly meditation for Catholic Extension Society which was emailed to thousands of people and posted on the organization’s website. This is his final meditation submitted just a few days before his death.
Throughout this Lenten Season, I have been reflecting on the suffering of Our Lord on the Cross. How unimaginable that pain is for us to comprehend – to be whipped, dragged and forced to carry a heavy beam of solid wood for such a long distance, only to then be nailed to that beam and hoisted skyward. What pain he must have endured during this passion journey. I cannot begin to fathom His suffering and yet as we approach the Sacred Triduum we journey with Him through Sacred Scripture to Good Friday and we are witnesses of his suffering.

Bishop William Houck pictured at the ordination of Bishop Joseph Kopacz Feb. 6, 2014. (Photo courtesy of Joe Ellis, The Clarion-Ledger)

Bishop William Houck pictured at the ordination of Bishop Joseph Kopacz Feb. 6, 2014. (Photo courtesy of Joe Ellis, The Clarion-Ledger)

There is an ancient hymn about the cross written by Venantius Fortunatus, a sixth century bishop. The hymn carries the same title as St. Thomas Aquinas’ hymn for the Eucharist – Pange Lingua. Pange Lingua basically means “Speak, Tongue” or better “Sing, My Tongue.” This hymn by Fortunatus has a beautiful line describing the agony of the cross. In Latin the line is: dulce lignum, dulce clavo, dulce pondus sustinens. This has been elegantly translated in many ways, but my favorite translation is: “O sweet wood, sweetly sustaining with a nail, the sweet fruit.”
The image of our Lord hanging like fruit with an iron nail sustaining His weight is shocking and gruesome, but it is this very image and moment in time that compel us to reflect on His suffering. During this Jubilee Year of Mercy and these remaining weeks of Lent, let the image of Christ on the Cross guide you to be merciful and compassionate with those around you so that you may better reflect the mercy and love poured out for us on the Cross and the ever-flowing mercy and compassion of God, our Father. In doing this you will not only more prayerfully enter into the sacred mysteries of Holy Week liturgies, but more importantly you will be strong vessels of God’s mercy and love in our very troubled world.
(To read more about Bishop Houck’s impact on Extension and to see a video from one of his talks, visit http://cathext.in/1XfdnrN)

Catholic Extension mourns passing of president emeritus

CHICAGO, IL (Marketwired) – Catholic Extension, the national Catholic organization supporting the American Church in under-resourced regions, announced that its president emeritus, Bishop William R. Houck, died in the early hours of March 9 in Jackson, Mississippi.
Appointed by Pope John Paul II as president of Catholic Extension, he served from 2001 until 2007. During his tenure, Catholic Extension sent more than $84 million in total funding to more than 4,000 communities. He dedicated about $5 million of the organization’s resources to helping rebuild the Catholic Church’s infrastructure throughout the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

Monsignor Jerome O. Sommer, (left)  Bishop Houck, Father Luis Studer, OMI, at the Catholic Extension100th exhibit. Reprinted with permission from Catholic Extension. Copyright 2016.www.catholicextension.org

Monsignor Jerome O. Sommer, (left) Bishop Houck, Father Luis Studer, OMI, at the Catholic Extension100th exhibit. Reprinted with permission from Catholic Extension. Copyright 2016.www.catholicextension.org

Father Jack Wall, who succeeded Bishop Houck as president, said Catholic Extension had received the news of his death “with great sadness and, at the same time, a deep and heartfelt gratitude for the wonderful and continuing gift he was to Catholic Extension.”
“What he brought to this leadership position,” Father Wall said, “was a wisdom grounded in his lifelong experience of serving in the missions of the deep South and a passion for helping the poor. He really had a pastor’s heart.”
Bishop Houck’s deep connection with Catholic Extension went back seven decades because, as a young seminarian, he was the recipient of the support of Catholic Extension donors, who helped pay for his seminary education.

Father Jack Wall

Father Jack Wall

Having served both as a priest and a bishop in Alabama and Mississippi, “he was a great champion for helping the Church in under-resourced areas,” Father Wall said.
“If anybody embodied the joy of the gospel,” Father Wall said, “it was Bishop Houck. He had a deep spiritual joy about him. At the same time, he also had a keen insight into what the needs and concerns of mission dioceses were.”
It was a testament to his boundless energy and profound dedication that he agreed to serve as president at age 75, after he had turned in his resignation notice as bishop of Jackson. When he was appointed president in 2001, Bishop Houck had already been serving on Catholic Extension’s board of governors for 12 years, and he continued to contribute to and advocate for Catholic Extension’s work as an honorary board member after his tenure as president.
As president emeritus, he also continued to share his spiritual insights with Catholic Extension donors through his popular weekly meditations.
In a recent message to Catholic Extension donors, Bishop Houck applauded them for “answering Jesus Christ’s call to discipleship,” and for making “a truly extraordinary and lasting difference” by “sharing the gift of our Catholic faith with others in need.” Those words also sum up his own commitment to Catholic Extension’s mission of building faith at the margins, in America’s underresourced mission dioceses.
“Bishop Houck is in our fondest prayers,” said Father Wall, “and together with our chancellor, Archbishop Blase Cupich, our board of governors, the bishops of the 94 mission dioceses we serve and the thousands of Catholic Extension donors, we express our deep sympathy to the Diocese of Jackson and pray with profound gratitude for the gift of the life and ministry of Bishop Houck.”

Condolences arrive from Vatican, nation, state

031816parolinThe Holy Father was saddened to learn of the death of Bishop Emeritus William R. Houck and he offers heartfelt condolences to you and to the clergy, religious and laity of the diocese.
In commending the late Bishop to the love and mercy of Christ the Good Shepherd, he joins in your prayer of thanksgiving for the many graces which accompanied his years of episcopal ministry to the Church in Jackson. To all who mourn Bishop Houck in the sure hope of the Resurrection, His Holiness cordially imparts the Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Lord.
With gratitude for your value assistance, I remain yours sincerely in Christ,

Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Vatican Secretary of State


 

031816kurtzI’m going to miss Bishop Houck a great deal, he was one of the most unselfish and warm and loving bishops that I have ever met. From the first time that I ever became a bishop in 1999 all the way to the last meeting I had with him in January at our bishops’ retreat, he constantly reached out to others, praised the good in others, and really was the figure of Christ.
I am very grateful for the chance to honor him. After completing his work as the bishop of Jackson I know he served in a beautiful way as president of Catholic Church Extension Society and really served the wider church in that capacity. I’m very proud to have known him.

Archbishop joseph E. Kurtz,
President, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky


 

031816cupichWith the death of Bishop William R. Houck, Catholic Extension mourns the loss of a true servant leader who dedicated much of his life and ministry to helping build the Catholic faith in America’s under-resourced dioceses.
Through his lifelong ministry as a priest and bishop in mission dioceses of the deep South, Bishop Houck knew firsthand the many joys and challenges Catholics experience in America’s missions.
Serving as a longtime board member, as president from 2001 until 2007, and since then as president emeritus of Catholic Extension, he made many lasting contributions to our mission and work.
Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, especially his sister, Millie Houck Reilly; and to the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, which he loved and served as its good shepherd.
We will greatly miss his joyful spirit, his guidance and wisdom and his dedication to spreading the Good News. May he rest in God’s peace.

Archbishop Blase Cupich
Chancellor of Catholic Extension


 

031816rodiI was saddened by the news of the death of Bishop Houck. The Catholics of the Diocese of Jackson and all the people of Mississippi have suffered a great loss. A native of Mobile, he remained grateful for and connected to his Alabama roots even as he proudly and lovingly served the people of the Magnolia State.
He was a man of deep faith and his love of God showed powerfully in his genuine love of neighbor. He was committed to serving those in need and fostering understanding and respect among all.
He was tireless in his dedication to ministry even into his “retirement” years. I am personally grateful for the kindness and support he extended to me when I was appointed Bishop of Biloxi and he served as Bishop of Jackson.
His advice and encouragement meant a great deal to me. His kindness to me was typical of the way he treated everyone. May this good man rest in peace.

Archbishop Thomas Rodi
Archbishop of Mobile


 

031816morinLast month, I had the opportunity to visit with Bishop Houck during the annual Catholic Day at the Capitol and, as always, he was very gracious and, seemingly, in great spirits. So, I was shocked and saddened to learn of his passing. Bishop Houck was a good, faithful shepherd to the people of the Diocese of Jackson and a trusted friend to the Diocese of Biloxi.
He was a very kind and compassionate man, who showed genuine care and concern for our brothers and sisters, particularly those in the greatest of need. Bishop Houck was very knowledgeable about the needs of our mission dioceses in the United States, especially here in the Deep South, which is why Pope John Paul II appointed him as president of Catholic Extension, a role in which he continued to serve after his retirement as bishop of Jackson.
As president of Catholic Extension, Bishop Houck was a constant presence on the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, offering tremendous comfort and support. With gratitude for the life and ministry of Bishop Houck, I pray that he may rest in peace.

Bishop Roger Morin
Bishop of Biloxi


 

031816howzeI first met Bishop Houck when he was pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Birmingham, Alabama. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop by St. John Paul II in May of 1979 in Rome and that’s when I really got the chance to know him.
He was named bishop of Jackson after Bishop Joseph Brunini retired. He certainly took care of Bishop Brunini in the greatest fashion. He was a great friend to Bishop Brunini. We worked together for a long time and he was a very kind and considerate bishop.
He was an outstanding bishop. We’ve constantly kept in touch since he retired. Just recently, I got a letter from him. I wrote a thank you letter for a Christmas gift he sent me – a box of popcorn – and he wrote me back. I was sad to hear that he had died. I was shocked.
I celebrated Mass in my private chapel for the repose of his soul as soon as I heard the news and I will continue to do so. He was an outstanding priest and an outstanding bishop.

Bishop Joseph L. Howze
Retired Bishop of Biloxi

Legislative update: liberty bill awaits action

“Listen to your conscience.” It’s a hallmark of our faith. Yet, freedom of conscience is at risk all across America. Catholic Charities and other faith-based adoption agencies in other states have been forced to stop serving children because their policies require homes with a married mother and father.
A Massachusetts college almost lost its accreditation because of its adherence to the Bible’s teaching on sexual morality. A Pennsylvania homeless shelter was threatened with loss of funding because of its beliefs regarding marriage, even though it served all-comers and never had a complaint.
Such instances of government-sanctioned discrimination are the reason why the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is supporting federal legislation to protect conscience rights. Here in Mississippi, we can do our part by joining with Bishops Joseph Kopacz and Roger Morin in supporting HB 1523: “The Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act.” The bill is currently being studied by the Senate Judiciary A committee and needs to pass out of committee by March 22.
As the USCCB warns: “It is becoming apparent that some who promote marriage redefinition do not support the coexistence and tolerance of different ideas in a pluralistic society but instead have a ‘comply or else’ agenda.” State-level legislation, such as HB 1523, would protect Mississippi churches, schools, nonprofits and public employees from government discrimination.

St. Joseph Abbey seeks recovery help

COVINGTON – In Louisiana, the Northshore was hard hit. St. Joseph’s Abbey had to cancel Abbey Fest, their annual youth gathering in anticipation of storms. A day later, almost every building at the abbey took more than two feet of water. The monks and the almost 140 seminarians were trapped by the quickly-rising floodwaters and had to spend one night on the second floor of whatever building they were in. No one was hurt, but the Abbey had no flood insurance.

A photo from Friday, March 11, shows water creeping up the steps of the church at St. Joseph’s abbey. The water has dropped, but damage remains. (Photo courtey of Rhonda Bowden)

A photo from Friday, March 11, shows water creeping up the steps of the church at St. Joseph’s abbey. The water has dropped, but damage remains. (Photo courtey of Rhonda Bowden)

“Almost every building on St. Joseph Abbey and Seminary College campus was inundated with about two feet of water, including the classrooms, residence hall, library, woodworks, gift shop, monastery, monastery refectory, and the basement of the Abbey church, which houses all the electrical work and air conditioning equipment. It’s going to be a long recovery. The outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming,” said Abbot Justin Brown, OSB.
Photos posted on social media also showed most of the cars flooded as well. This flood was the worst in the seminary’s history, topping the 1927 flood by several inches.
Three men from the Diocese of Jackson are studying at St. Joseph’s this year. The seminary is accepting donations on its website, http://www.saintjosephabbey.com/donate.

Floods damage homes, businesses in Delta, Louisiana

Several days of heavy rains caused severe flooding throughout the region the week of March 6-12. At press time many people in and around Clarksdale were still waiting for the water to drop. The Clarksdale Press Register provided the following update.
CLARKSDALE – As citizens try to recover from the flood, relief efforts around town are under way to help those who need it most.
As of Monday afternoon, Coahoma County EMA Johnny Tarzi said around 200 to 250 homes have been destroyed and he said he wouldn’t be surprised if there were more. The water still has to drop before any real damage assessments can be made, he said.

Flood waters have nearly reached the sign on the Clarksdale Municipal School District central office on Friars Point Road. Several nearby residents have evacuated their homes, which are inundated, and other residents who live in the area known as “the circle” can only get in and out of the neighborhood by boat. (Photo and text repinted with permission from Nathan Duff of the Clarksdale Press Register.)

Flood waters have nearly reached the sign on the Clarksdale Municipal School District central office on Friars Point Road. Several nearby residents have evacuated their homes, which are inundated, and other residents who live in the area known as “the circle” can only get in and out of the neighborhood by boat. (Photo and text repinted with permission from Nathan Duff of the Clarksdale Press Register.)

“The river, I’m hoping it’s going to crest today and get out of here Thursday and Friday,” Tarzi said. “We have to do damage assessments, whenever the water drops out of here.”
Tarzi said he sends daily report to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). After officials can do real damage assessment, the county may be eligible for federal disaster funds through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the second time in less than four months.
Tarzi told the Board of Mayor and Commissioners Monday afternoon that he was optimistic Coahoma County would be eligible for both individual and public assistance, the latter of which reimburses the city and/or county for money spent on cleanup and rescue efforts.
The Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium at 506 E. Second St. and on Monday morning, Fire Chief Obert Douglas said about 16 people stayed there Sunday night, but that number fluctuates as some people are coming and going and staying with family members. Almost every local hotel has displaced citizens, but the Red Cross doesn’t have funds to help people pay for rooms or to provide temporary housing such as trailers, which is why getting MEMA and FEMA help is important.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson is trying to garner support from the governor, said Trey Baker with Thompson’s office.
“The congressman has been in touch with multiple officials in Clarksdale and Coahoma County, and he is fully abreast of everything that is going on,” Baker said.
Baker said that Thompson would support the area being declared a federal disaster area, but that the request for that has to come from Gov. Phil Bryant’s office. Baker indicated that Thompson’s office has reached out to Bryant, but has not received word of an official request as of Monday afternoon.

Ruskey said the water rose just 4 inches Sunday night, but he didn’t know exactly how high the Sunflower River got because the transmitter that powers the USGS river gauge behind City Hall was flooded and stopped working. He said a lot of the water is runoff from flooded fields and he said the tributaries are getting so much water that the Yazoo Pass has started to flow backward into Moon Lake.
Confederate Street and the surrounding area behind Greenbough Nursing Home was one of the first areas to flood last Thursday. Most of the East Park subdivision outside the town of Lyon is under water after a couple of the levees around that area gave way on Friday. Aerial photos of the area show water approaching the roofs of at least two dozen homes.
Lyon Mayor Woody Sawyer said they’ve encouraged citizens, especially older folks, to give him, public works director Larry Cook or any town alderman a call if they need anything, including water or groceries. He said the roads that are impassible, even those blocked with barricades, can make for a treacherous trip.
“We’ll do anything we can to or lend any of our equipment to anyone who needs it,” he added.
Catholic Charities has been monitoring the situation, keeping in touch with Clarksdale pastor Father Scott Thomas and other community leaders. Those in need of assistance should notify their pastor, who will coordinate response through the Catholic Charities Disaster Response office.

Thrive in joy this Easter

Light One Candle
By Tony Rossi
Easter is the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, the event that makes it possible for us to rejoice in the fact that we will be able to see our family and friends again some day in heaven. That’s a powerful and comforting thought for anyone who’s lost a loved one — and who among us doesn’t fit into that category.
Jay Fagnano and his wife Mary sure do. And they’ve experienced the most devastating loss possible: the death of a child, their son Nick. At the same time, I can’t help but think of their story this Easter because it’s also a story of hope due to an essay they found on Nick’s computer after his death.
As reported by Brian Kravec on the website CatholicMom.com, it was the summer of 2014, and Nick was looking forward to attending the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, whose mission is “to improve the quality of life for people and their communities, here and abroad.”
Nick attended Mass at St. Brendan Church in Hancock Park, Los Angeles, with Jay and Mary, then joined some friends on Venice Beach to enjoy the sunny California day. Kravec writes, “Nick was in the ocean at approximately 2:20 p.m. when several rogue clouds drifted over the beach amid the clear, blue skies. And at least four direct lightning strikes touched the sand and water. There were 13 lightning strike victims. Nick was the only fatality.”
Jay and Mary, of course, were shattered at losing their son, who was known for his winning smile, friendly personality, and deep faith that caused him to radiate God’s love. The deepness of that faith became even more evident when the Fagnanos discovered an essay on Nick’s computer that he had written in 2013 as a freshman in college. It was called “The Reality of Heaven,” and this is the passage that stood out:
“Regardless of heaven being beyond my comprehension, the afterlife that I want to be a part of involves joy, excitement, and gratitude, as we will finally be reunited with the loved ones that we have lost on earth. Perhaps ‘rest in peace’ is actually not the best term in relation to death; rather, a phrase such as ‘thrive in joy’ best represents how I will want to spend eternity.”
Jay and Mary saw that essay as a charge to keep their son’s name and legacy alive. They created the Thrive in Joy Nick Fagnano Foundation, which encourages and rewards character through education and recreation. One of their initiatives is a scholarship for “an incoming transfer student (just as Nick would have been) entering USC’s Sol Price School.” Another supports poor urban communities in the Dominican Republic because Nick, when he was a 13-year-old Little League player, organized a fundraiser after hearing that many young people there couldn’t play baseball due to a lack of equipment.
Despite lighting a candle in the darkness of his grief, Jay still struggled with his faith until he heard a recent homily in which the priest said, “No matter what you have to face, whether it be adversity, sadness, or tragedy, if you utter these words, it will be OK . . . I believe.”
Jay concluded, “That’s been the biggest challenge in my life since Nick’s loss. I’m not sure I really did believe. But I do. I believe that Nick is ‘thriving in joy’ and someday we’ll be with him and we will thrive in joy together.”
(Tony Rossi is the Director of Communications for The Christophers, a Catholic media organization founded by Maryknoll Father James Keller to promote the idea that every person has a special vocation from God. For more information, visit www.christophers.org)