By Joanna Puddister King
JACKSON – Catholic Charities’ annual Journey of Hope took on a new format this year, reaching across the diocese with two gatherings that drew nearly 800 people to celebrate faith, service and hope.
More than 550 guests attended the Oct. 22 luncheon at the Country Club of Jackson, while another 250 gathered the following day at St. James Parish in Tupelo, where the focus centered on the outreach of Catholic Charities’ Vardaman office in Northeast Mississippi.
“Each event reflected how Catholic Charities and our programs are guided by our faith,” said Michael Thomas, development director for Catholic Charities of Jackson. “The goal is always that everyone leaves with a positive sense of what Catholic Charities is doing throughout our state to better the lives of so many.”

Featured speaker Father Burke Masters, a former Mississippi State University baseball standout, Chicago Cubs chaplain and priest of the Diocese of Joliet, told guests that discipleship requires the same commitment and discipline once demanded of him on the field.
Scouts, he said, used to rate ballplayers on six “tools”: hitting, power, running, fielding, throwing and baseball IQ. “I was good at everything but great at nothing,” he recalled with a smile. “Not all of us can become Major League ballplayers, but all of us can become better disciples of Jesus Christ.”
He offered a spiritual parallel – the six tools of a disciple: grow, give, serve, worship, imitate Jesus, and build community. “Everybody looks for meaning and purpose,” he said. “And I can’t imagine anything more meaningful or purposeful than eternal life.”
Father Masters urged guests to make time for daily formation. “We practiced five hours a day to be the best baseball players we could be,” he said. “How much time do you and I invest in our spiritual lives?”
He also challenged listeners to approach worship with gratitude. “You don’t have to go to church – you get to go,” he said. “You get to worship the God of the universe.”
Thomas said proceeds from the Jackson event will benefit all Catholic Charities programs, while donations from Tupelo will remain in the Vardaman regional office, supporting ministries that serve families and individuals across the northeast region. “Donors know that they have a vested interest in what is accomplished in their own communities,” he said.
This year’s events highlighted Catholic Charities’ mission to bring hope and healing statewide through more than two dozen programs, from adoption and counseling to domestic-violence intervention and outreach for immigrants and refugees.

Thomas credited widespread collaboration for the Jackson events’ success, noting leadership from St. Paul, Flowood; St. Francis of Assisi, Madison; and St. Richard, Jackson, who “led parish participation this year and set an example we hope others will follow.”
He also expressed appreciation for Christina Bach, executive director of Catholic Charities; Father Tim Murphy and the St. James staff in Tupelo; Michele Harris, board chair; and Julie Gibert, who chaired the development committee. “Everyone worked so hard to bring back our Journey of Hope and make it a success in both Jackson and Tupelo,” Thomas said.
Thomas said the dual-location format may continue in future years depending on the speaker, noting how fortunate organizers were that Father Masters could address both gatherings.
“Great things are happening with our programs,” he added. “Our Kinship Navigator Program is expanding to Greenwood and Jackson; and Born Free has a new director.”
In closing, Father Masters shared a story about receiving a replica Chicago Cubs World Series ring from seminarians while serving as vocation director. He often shows it to students, who “ooh and ahh” before he explains it is a $15 imitation. “It looks real, but it’s not,” he said, adding that his real focus is on a greater prize. “The crown of eternal glory doesn’t collect dust, it doesn’t fade away, and it lasts forever. Let’s live today as disciples preparing for that face-to-face meeting with God.”