Monthly Archives: May 2014

St. Joe students recognized

Posted on by
Reply

MADISON – St. Joseph School senior Anna Kathryn Moorehead was selected by Spring Hill College in Mobile as the 2014 recipient of the Bishop Brunini Scholarship.
The scholarship is offered to one graduating senior from the Jackson Diocese and awarded on the basis of academic ability, leadership/involvement outside of the classroom and dedication to serving others in the recipient’s community.
Bishop Brunini lived his life as a leader in service to others. In 1981, a scholarship was established at Spring Hill College to both honor Bishop Brunini’s achievements as a leader and to foster the same qualities in the chosen recipient of this prestigious award.
In addition to the Bishop Brunini Scholarship, Moorehead also was awarded the Portier Leader Award in recognition of academic excellence and the Spring Hill Service Scholarship for her dedication to service to others.
Sophomore journalism student Jack Hall had his name engraved on a plaque on permanent display at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum announcing he was named the first Orley Hood Sports Writer of the Year.
The Orley Hood award is named in honor of the late Orley Hood, a longtime, popular, award-winning sports columnist with The Clarion-Ledger. Hall competed for the award against other students from all high schools across the state. Hall serves as sports editor of The Bear Facts.

Class of 2014 reflects on experience

Posted on by
Reply

MADISON ST. JOSEPH

  • Graduates: 83
  • Percentage of college bound: 100 percent
  • Number of scholarships awarded: 186
  • Largest scholarship awarded: $300,000
  • Total scholarship money earned: $3,936,344
  • Military enlistments: 1 Army and 1 Marine
  • Senior class service hours: 33,816
  • Notable service project: Dance marathon

VALEDICTORIAN: Anna Edge
Member of Madison St. Francis of Assisi Parish

From her speech: Two of the most important things I have learned at St. Joe, and what I want you to take with you today are a passion for everything you do and an awareness of your worth, beauty and sacredness as children of God. … We have been blessed to be surrounded by teachers who have taken absolute joy in nurturing their students. Their passion has inspired me to push through those late nights of studying, countless tutoring sessions …
“The St. Joseph staff has made me aware of my dignity as a human being and of my values. When we embark on the world, we must remember to love ourselves enough not only to work hard for our passion but also time for rest and relaxation …
Plans to attend: Mississippi State University to study engineering.

CO-SALUTATORIAN: Bailey Brilley
Member of Jackson St. Richard Parish

From his speech: Quoting Tennessee Williams, who he had the privilege of portraying, Brilley read, “There comes a time when you look into the mirror and you realize that what you see is all that you will ever be. And then you accept it. Or you kill yourself. Or you stop looking in mirrors” I offer this quote to my classmates not because I believe in our overarching “un-specialness” (although I do), but because the most important lesson I’ve learned in these six years is that happiness comes from noticing how truly un-remarkable you are and choosing to defy your insignificance with each and every breath.
Plans to attend: Washington Lee

CO-SALUTATORIAN: Ramsey Fairbank
Member of Jackson St. Richard Parish

From her speech: “Looking back on it in twenty years when I have a career and am oh so high and important (not), these memories will probably seem like nothing but silly high school experiences that won’t mean much to me, but that’s not right. Learning fractals from Mr. Richards changed me, watching “Lorenzo’s Oil” with my AP chemistry class changed me, studying for Mrs. Tupman’s Phylum Friday test changed me. Maybe not in some grandiose, obvious way, but small changes add up. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my education at St. Joe, and there’s no one sitting up here who can say any differently. You definitely won’t remember this speech in twenty years, class of 2014, but if you remember anything, remember St. Joe. Remember what made you who you are, and, inevitably, what you will become.”
Plans to attend: Auburn University

 

Natchez Cathedral School

  • Graduates: 35
  • Percentage of college bound: 100 percent
  • Number of scholarships awarded: 33
  • Percentage of scholarship recipients: 94 percent
  • Largest scholarship awarded: $112,000 to Presley Davids from Millsaps College
  • Notable colleges: Spring Hill College, Rhodes College
  • Total scholarship money earned: $2.2 million
  • Notable service projects: Caroline Downer hosted a drive for toys to give every child at Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children which she delivered to the Jackson hospital. Having a benign bone tumor on her hip, she knew first-hand what these children go through and wanted give the kids something to lift their spirits.  Kids Against Hunger meal-packing event put on by Cathedral School Key Club during the Key Club District Conference, which Cathedral hosted this year. Students packaged more than 80,000 packages of food. The students opted to donate the meals to local food banks, shelters, churches, and other organizations in need as opposed to sending them overseas.

VALEDICTORIAN: Alyssa Christine Stewart
GPA: 98.402 ACT: 30

From her speech: “As we prepare for the next chapters in our lives, I encourage each and every one of you to embrace life and to experience everything that it has to offer. Don’t be afraid to take risks or to fail. Don’t have regrets and don’t reflect upon the what-ifs. All of our experiences (even the bad ones) help to mold our character and determine who we are as individuals.”
Plans to attend: Louisiana State University to study biology.

SALUTATORIAN:
Gabrien Joyce Caramat Panteria
GPA: 98.179 – ACT: 27
Member of St. Mary Basilica

From her speech: Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” I encourage my class to listen to her quote, to always believe in your dreams and aim high, for I believe you have the potential to be successful in anything you put your attention and effort into. Go forth, make a difference in this world, and use what you know; you can do anything.
I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to all our teachers and faculty members for believing in our dreams, helping us grow educationally and spiritually, and encouraging us to do our best … I do know one thing: our years at Cathedral School have given us some of the best memories of our lives, lessons to learn from, and skills to give us confidence, intelligence, and personal integrity.
Plans to attend: Louisiana State University and study coastal environmental engineering/biology.

VICKSBURG ST. ALOYSIUS

  • Graduates: 35
  • Percentage of college bound: 100 percent
  • Number of scholarship recipients: 28
  • Percentage of scholarship recipients: 80 percent
  • Largest scholarship awarded: $105,800
  • Notable colleges: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Total scholarship money earned: $3,941,118
  • Senior class service hours: 3,300 hours
  • Notable service projects: Filipino dinner to benefit Catholic Relief Services efforts to help typhoon victims in the Philippines.

VALEDICTORIAN: Wally Wibowo
GPA: 4.76 – ACT: 34
Member of St. Michael Catholic Church

From his speech: Through Mrs. Phillips’s rigorous math classes, I learned to love calculus and I realized that when I had a positive mindset towards a challenging and slightly bizarre differentiation or integration problem, it was more bearable to suffer through …
“In the history and humanities classes taught by Coach Booth,  I realized how understanding the material given, not simply memorizing it, was the key to learning.  He stressed the importance of critical thinking and also taught us how to make rational arguments, a skill I will definitely need later on when I’m begging a professor to extend a deadline.
Plans to attend: Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study mechanical engineering.

SALUTATORIAN: Lara Lamanilao
GPA: 4.63  –  ACT: 30
Member of St. Michael Catholic Church

From her speech: “Attending Vicksburg Catholic School has given us the privilege to express our faith. Through theology classes, Masses, retreats, and daily prayer, we constantly deepen our relationships with God. It is nice that we are able to pray together and for each other.  
“The Class of 2014 will be attending colleges from the east to west coast. Our education has fostered in us new career aspirations other than becoming a ninja, as we will pursue careers as doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, accountants, and business men. Vicksburg Catholic School has given the senior class the opportunity to instill within ourselves exemplary character and a prime education that has built thinkers, writers, speakers, problem solvers, and citizens of the Gospel.  We are honored to soon be graduates of St. Aloysius and are proud to continue the tradition of Vicksburg Catholic School.”
Plans to attend: Mississippi College

GREENVILLE ST JOSEPH

  • Number of graduates: 37
  • Percentage of college bound:  97 percent
  • Number of scholarship recipients: 26
  • Percentage of scholarship recipients: 68 percent
  • Largest scholarship awarded: $122,800
  • Notable colleges: Columbia University, Chapman University, John Paul the Great Catholic University, University of Central Florida, Millsaps College.
  • Total scholarship money earned: $1.7 million
  • Total service hours completed by senior class: 950
  • Notable service projects: Parker Jones Fund, a lasting memorial for Jones who died from a brain tumor; St. Vincent DePaul, Carrie Stern Reading Mentors.
  • School honors earned this year: Academic Bowl Winner for second year in a row, state champions (team and individuals), District Championships baseball, tennis, softball.

VALEDICTORIAN: Caroline Mansour
GPA: 96.9  ACT: 33
Member of St. Joseph Catholic Church

From her speech: “I’ve thought a lot about the past and the future looking for a meaning, and the only pattern I’ve found is that it’s hard to appreciate the present. My present right now is standing here in the St. Joe gym at the 2014 graduation, but being here wouldn’t mean anything unless we were all here together. The only thing we have in common is that we are all here for this moment, together. That is our binding thread. It may seem weak or inconsequential, but to find people to share your moments with is to live with meaning.
… If we are lucky enough to have moments we want to live forever, our challenge is to share them. So while I may not know enough or have a story to write, I certainly have to thank the people who helped me pick up my pen. To St. Joe, who gave me the best six years it possibly could. You rarely said no, you made me feel special.”
Plans to attend: Columbia University.

SALUTATORIAN: Reya Marie Hayek
GPA: 94.6  ACT: 27
Member of St. Joseph Catholic Church

From her speech: “I would also like to extend a very special thank you to all the parents here today, the true masterminds of our burgeoning success. From diapers, to teenage attitude, to this glorious day. It is under your care and protection that we acquired the skills that made it possible for us to be here today. You have guided us, scolded us, and molded us into the strong and independent young men and women that are seated before you today. You sacrificed immensely to see us graduate.
Thank you for tolerating the tears, the drama, the cries, and the heartbreaks. Thank you for the warmth and strength you provided us with.  As we get ready to fly with our own wings and see and experience the world, we know that a part of you all will always be with us, your hearts …”
Plans to attend: Millsaps College

Intimacy as particular, universal

Posted on by
Reply

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
The lusts of the flesh reveal the loneliness of the soul. Dag Hammarskjold, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, wrote those words and they highlight part of the deeper intentionality of sexual desire. And this insight was more than just a theoretical one for Hammarskjold. He knew loneliness and unfulfilled desire.
As more and more of his journals are published in English, we are becoming more aware that Dag Hammarskjold was both a man of extraordinary moral integrity and extraordinary spiritual depth. And he came by it legitimately. His father, at one time the Prime Minister of Sweden, had been a great statesman of uncompromising integrity and his mother had been a woman of great warmth and spiritual depth. Hammarskjold inherited the best of both, and it made him both a rare statesman and a great spiritual writer. However not everything was whole in his life.
While in his professional life he dealt with issues of world importance and was taxed for every ounce of his energies, the rest of his life was not nearly so complete. As a young man, he had lost a woman he deeply loved to another man, and this was a wound that never left him. He never dated or pursued marriage again. He longed to be married, but, for all kinds of reasons, as is the case for millions of people, it just never happened. He was, in the words of his biographer, Walter Lipsey, “checkmated rather than mated.”
Hammarskjold, in his journals, often reflects on this “checkmate” and upon the lacuna it left in his life. There’s a searing honesty about its pain and about how he tries to grapple with it. On the one hand, he is clear that this is a pain that cannot be denied and which never goes away; on the other hand, he is able to redirect it somewhat, sublimating it into a wider embrace, into a different kind of marriage bed:
“I feel pain, a longing to share in this embrace [of a husband and wife], to be absorbed, to share in this encounter. A longing like carnal desire, but directed toward earth, water, sky, and returned by the whispers of the trees, the fragrance of the soil, the caresses of the wind, the embrace of water and light.”  Was this satisfying? Not quite, but it brought a certain peace: “Content? No, no, no – but refreshed, rested, while waiting.”
In this, both in how he experienced the pain of his inconsummation and in how he tried to redirect those longings, his feelings parallel those of Thomas Merton. Merton was once asked by a journalist how he felt about celibacy. Merton replied that “celibacy was hell”, that it condemned one to live in a loneliness that God himself condemned (“It is not good for the man to be alone”), and that it was in fact a dangerous way to live since it was an abnormal way of living. But Merton then went on to say that, just because it was anomalous and dangerous, didn’t mean that it couldn’t be wonderfully generative and life-giving, both for the one living it as well as for those around him or her. And that was no doubt true in Merton’s own case, just as it was true for Hammarskjold. Both infused more oxygen into the planet.
Moreover, Merton tried to sublimate his desire for a marriage bed in much the same way as Hammarskjold did: “I had decided to marry the silence of the forest. The sweet dark warmth of the whole world will have to be my wife. Out of the heart of that dark warmth comes the secret that is heard only in silence, but it is the root of all the secrets that are whispered by all the lovers in their beds all over the world.”
Both Hammarskjold and Merton longed for that deep, highly individualized, intimate and sexual, one-to-one embrace which was denied them by their place in life and which is denied to millions of us by every sort of circumstance and conscription. Merton chose to forego sexual consummation deliberately, to embrace religious vows; Hammarskjold had it chosen for him, by circumstance. At the end of the day the effect was the same. Both then tried to sublimate that need and desire for congenital intimacy by, in their own words, somehow marrying the world and making love in a less-particularized way.
Many married persons who enjoy that unique depth of one-to-one intimacy that Hammarskjold and Merton longed for, must, I suspect, inchoately also long to find within their sexual intimacy that wider embrace of which Hammarskjold and Merton speak, knowing that they want that too in their sexual embrace.
Thinkers have forever mulled-over the problem of the one and the many, the interrelationship between the particular and the universal, because this isn’t just a theoretical issue in metaphysics, something to entertain philosophers, it’s also something that lies inextricably entangled within the powerful pressure of sexuality in lovers in their beds all over the world.
(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX.)

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOLS

Posted on by
Reply

BROOKHAVEN St. Francis, “Weird Animals: Where Jesus’ Love is One-of a Kind,” June 8-12, from 6 – 8:15 p.m. Dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. each evening.

CORINTH St. James, July 8-10, from 9 – noon.

CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, “Safari: Where kids explore the nature of God,” June 16-20. Details: Wendy Gordon, 662-645-4077, wendyfgordon@yahoo.com.

GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Monday-Wednesday, June 16-18. Details: Karen Worrell, 601-672-5817, kworrellcre@hotmail.com.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, June 9-13, for Pre-K to fifth grade. Monday-Thursday from 9 am – noon and on Friday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Parents and family are invited to join in the picnic on Friday. Details: Katherine Carroll, 662-429-2896.

GREENVILLE Sacred Heart, June 16-20, from 8 a.m. – noon.

GREENWOOD Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monday-Thursday, June 16-19, from 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tutoring available until 2 p.m. for children five-years-old through fourth grade.

GREENWOOD St. Francis, “Discovery Zone V,” June 23-26, from 9 a.m. – 2:15 p.m. for children five -13.

HERNANDO Holy Spirit, “Strange Animals,” June 9-13, from 9 a.m. – noon and on Friday from 9 a.m. -1 p.m., for Pre-K through fifth graders. Details: Katherine Carroll, 662-429-2896.

JACKSON St. Richard, “Son Treasure Island,” June 2-6 from 9 a.m. – noon.

JACKSON St. Therese, “Circus of the Stars,” June 16-20, from 8 a.m. – noon. Details: Betsy Carraway, 601-857-2252, betsycarraway@att.net.

MADISON St. Francis, June 23-27, from 9 a.m. – noon for pre-K through fourth-graders. Camp Creativity will be held for fifth and sixth graders at the same time. Details: Mary Catherine George, 601-856-5556.

McCOMB St. Alphonsus, June 9-13. Registration forms are in the back of the church.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, “Weird Animals: Where Jesus’ Love is One-of-a-Kind,” June 2-6, from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. in the Family Life Center, for children four years and older. Fifth-graders and older are welcome as helpers. VBS Mass on Saturday, June 7, at 5 p.m. Details: Jennifer Lambuth, 601- 807-6708, jenniferlambuth@gmail.com.
– Assumption Parish, June 9-11, from 6 – 7:30 p.m. in Tuite Hall.

OXFORD St. John, “Weird Animals, Where Jesus’ Love is One-of-a-Kind,” July 22-25, from 9 – 11 a.m. Details: Ginny Scott, 662-317-9045.

PEARL St. Jude, “Camping in God’s Creation” June 2-6, from 9 a.m. – noon for ages three years to rising fifth graders. Cost is $5 per child (maximum of $15 per family) Students from rising sixth graders – high school can volunteer.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, “Wilderness Escape,” Monday-Friday, June 16-20, from 6 – 8 p.m. Registration forms are at the bulletin board in the gathering space. Register by Sunday, May 18. Volunteers needed. Details: Donna Williamson, 662 342-1073, ctksdonna@aol.com.

Clarification

Posted on by
Reply

In order to clarify misinformation about the status of St. Mary Parish in Jackson: No final decision has been made about the parish and discussions are ongoing. The church has structural issues with its foundation and interior. Meetings have been held and are being held with parishioners to survey options in light of these structural issues. As of now no final decision has been made concerning the future of the parish.

Recibiendo el fuego de Pentecostés

Posted on by
Reply

Por Obispo Joseph Kopacz
Cuando llegó la fiesta de Pentecostés todos los creyentes se encontraban reunidos en un mismo lugar. De repente, un gran ruido que venía del cielo, como de un viento fuerte, resonó en toda la casa donde ellos estaban. Y se le aparecieron lenguas como de fuego, repartidas sobre cada uno de ellos”.
El deseo de Jesús de prender fuego en el mundo se desató. Recordamos sus palabras apasionadas en el evangelio de Lucas, Capítulo 12:49. “Yo he venido a prender fuego en el mundo; y ¡cómo quisiera que ya estuviera ardiendo!” Estas palabras del Señor no deberían amenazarnos como una forma de castigo divino similar al fuego sulfuroso que consumió Sodoma y Gomorra tal como se ha registrado en el relato bíblico del libro de Génesis. Es más parecido a la experiencia en el Monte Sinaí, el solidificado momento en la relación entre Dios y los Israelitas donde Moisés recibió los Diez Mandamientos. “Todo el Monte Sinaí humeaba, porque el Señor había descendido sobre él en medio del fuego”.
La revelación de Dios en el Monte Sinaí dio a conocer el amor apasionado que Dios tenía por los Israelitas, el pueblo escogido por la alianza. Dios le asegura a Moisés que su misericordia se desplazaría hasta miles de generaciones, o como podemos entender, para siempre. La misericordia de Dios se iba a convertir en la supervivencia de Israel a través de la boca de los profetas. Recuerden el mensaje consolador de Isaías en la época del exilio. Pero Sión dijo: “El Señor me ha abandonado, mi Señor me ha olvidado” ¿Puede una madre olvidarse de su criatura, no tener ternura por el hijo de sus entrañas? Pues aunque ella se olvide, yo no te olvidaré”.
El fuego del Espíritu Santo en Pentecostés es el cumplimiento del fuego que forjó la alianza de amor con los Israelitas. El pueblo de la Nueva Alianza nacido en la cruz sangrienta y reconciliado en la resurrección de los muertos, salió del cenáculo a anunciar la Buena Nueva de Jesucristo, la encarnación de la misericordia de Dios. El fuego que Jesús tan ardientemente deseada estaba ahora ardiendo. La revolución había comenzado y continúa en nuestros días.
La segunda parte de la trilogía, El hambre de los juegos, fue estrenada el pasado mes de diciembre. Está titulada, Fuego Fascinante, y claramente tiene una sensación de Pentecostés. Esta cautivadora novela relata la historia de un pueblo que apenas sobrevive bajo el yugo de un sistema totalitario. Cada año dos personas son elegidas de entre los doce distritos de la sociedad los cuales deben ir a la capital a luchar a muerte, con un solo sobreviviente. Se trata de una versión moderna del Coliseo romano con el doble propósito de controlar las masas y entretener al pueblo frívolo del capitolio.
Pero la insaciable hambre de libertad se abrió paso en el primer segmento de la Trilogía cuando la heroína, Katniss Everdeen, ofreció una chispa de humanidad a través de las lágrimas y un gesto de respeto que se convirtió en el símbolo de la revolución. El fuego comenzó, y no puede ser saciado. Un régimen despiadado ya no podía sostenerse a sí mismo. Un momento de Pentecostés, ¿podríamos preguntar?
La revolución que comenzó en ese primer Pentecostés fue la Buena Noticia de Jesucristo que vino a superar la tiranía y la opresión del pecado que es un cruel capataz. Es la misericordia y la gracia de Dios que nos pueden llevar a arrodillarnos, pero en un instante nos levanta y restaurar a la dignidad de los hijos e hijas de Dios. Sin lugar a dudas apartarse del pecado y aventurarse en el camino de la vida, no es tarea fácil.
En el primer Pentecostés, la gente se preguntaba ¿qué es lo que hay que hacer hermanos? Pedro respondió: “Arrepiéntanse, y sean bautizados cada uno de ustedes en el nombre de Jesucristo por el perdón de sus pecados. Y recibirán el don del Espíritu Santo”. En los momentos de gracia, el viento fuerte y el fuego purificador del Espíritu busca despejar los ídolos de nuestras vidas. Este no es un encuentro con Dios de una sola vez y ya. Es una tarea de limpieza de toda la vida porque a los ídolos les gusta tomar residencia. El Becerro de Oro, construido por los Israelitas en su impaciencia y dureza de corazón, sigue viviendo y solo lo podemos destruir en el fuego del amor apasionado de Dios.
El viento impetuoso y eterno fuego de Pentecostés, junto con la sangre de los mártires, eventualmente arrasó al tiránico Imperio Romano de la etapa de la historia. El poder de Pentecostés no puede ser contenido. O como escribió San Pablo, “no hay encarcelamiento de la Palabra de Dios”.
Todos hemos recibido el don del Espíritu Santo por medio de la fe y el bautismo marcándonos para siempre como  hijos de Dios, hermanos y hermanas del Señor y templos del Espíritu Santo. La constante llamada en nuestras vidas no es sólo para despejar a los ídolos que nos separan de Dios y de los hombres, pero también para avivar en fuego el don que recibimos cuando fuimos bautizados.
No se puede cocinar con una luz piloto y tampoco se puede vivir el Evangelio sin un ardiente deseo de hacerlo, un don de Dios. Que nuestro encuentro diario con el Señor inspire en nosotros la alegría del Evangelio y una manera de vivir que lleve la Buena Nueva hasta los confines de la tierra, comenzando con el espacio que ocupamos en el mundo de Dios.

Farewell to Debbie Turk

Posted on by
Reply

JACKSON – St. Richard School and Parish honored Debbie Turk, who is retiring after 27 years of service with a special Mass and reception on Wednesday, May 14.
All those years, she worked in the school cafeteria and in the church nursery, missing only one time when she had surgery. She serves in the parish as Eucharistic minister and is an active member of the REACH Program.
Turk is known for making rosaries for the prison ministry, small faith communities, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) candidates for St. Richard and other parishes. She has even taught the students and teachers how to make them. She also volunteers at the Mustard Seed and plays sports in her free time.
St. Richard School students presented her farewell cards before the Mass. After the liturgy, principal Lisa Geimer gave Turk, a life-long Mississippi State fan, a huge cow bell as a thank you gift.

Official Appointments

Posted on by
Reply

Father Mario Solórzano appointed associate pastor of of St. Joseph Church, Starkville, effective July 1, 2014.

Father Thirumalareddy Suresh Reddy, appointed pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Church, Chatawa, and St. James Mission, Magnolia, effective July 1, 2014.

Father Xavier Amirtham, O Praem, appointed pastor of Holy Family Church, Jackson, effective July 1, 2014.

+Joseph R. Kopacz
Bishop of Jackson

St. Peter Claver regional conference draws 300+

Posted on by
Reply

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – More than 300 Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver gathered in downtown Jackson the weekend of May 3-4 for a regional conference. At the closing Mass chaplain, Father Vernon Huguley, urged them to “be people of the resurrection, not crucifiers.” The Mass included a roll call and prayers for all the Knights and Ladies who have died during the past year.

1 2

At a banquet following the Mass keynote speaker, Jackson Police Chief Lindsey Horton, spoke about the ongoing problem of drugs in every community. He urged everyone in attendance to reach out to someone they may know who struggles with addiction. Different chapters and knights and ladies were recognized at the banquet for outstanding work.

At every conference the group selects a local charity to support. This year, Catholic Charities got a cash donation in addition to a large collection of baby items. Executive Director Greg Patin thanked the members for their generosity and told them their baby donations will help the Born Free, New Beginnings program which helps mothers and pregnant women who are coping with addiction.
One historical note, this was the first conference attended by three former Supreme Knights and two former Supreme Ladies, offering a wealth of experience and history to the gathering.