By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
During the heart of the Easter season, I celebrated my 49th anniversary of priesthood. From the sanctuary of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Scranton on May 7, 1977, to the sanctuary of St. Peter the Apostle in Jackson on Feb. 6, 2014, until this present moment, I have been caught up, in the words of Pope St. John Paul II, in this “gift and mystery” of the priesthood of Jesus Christ.

Actually, my first celebration of ordination occurred on April 23, 1976, with the call to the diaconate. Therefore, for more than 50 years, by God’s grace, I have fought the good fight and kept the faith, but have not yet finished the race. May there be many more years ahead in the plan of God’s providence.
Indeed, let us give thanks for all of our priests, past and present, mindful of those who are celebrating their anniversaries at this time of year. Ad multos annos!
The Diocese of Jackson rejoices this weekend with the ordination to the priesthood of Will Foggo who will celebrate his first Mass at St. Paul in Flowood.
During the Easter season, the Church also rejoices in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Our catechumens and candidates entering the Church at the Easter Vigil were the first to receive the gift of God’s loving spirit, followed by candidates in many parishes throughout the diocese.
In fact, a bishop’s travels throughout his diocese in the Easter season mirror the missionary journeys portrayed in the Acts of the Apostles, when the apostles and the first evangelists traversed far and wide to carry the Gospel across the Mediterranean world and strengthen fledging Christian communities. The proclamation of the Gospel to the nations and the sanctification of existing communities and individual believers is the work of the Holy Spirit, begun at Pentecost and continuing until Christ comes again.
With Pentecost on the horizon, let there be a rising tide within us to entreat an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. May we also know and understand the power of the Holy Spirit’s presence and the poverty of his absence. We are invited, therefore, to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit, both in prayer and in everyday life, listening to his voice within us.
“The Holy Spirit, breath of Jesus and atmosphere of heaven, is also the breath of his body, the Church. And we are aware of his presence if the Church is itself in the full sense; that is, if it is kingdom of God, heaven come down on earth, because of unity. We are reminded that without the Holy Spirit, God is distant, Christ remains in the past, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is a mere organization, and ‘mission’ is mere propaganda. But being in the Holy Spirit, the cosmos is lifted up and groans in the gestation of the kingdom of God, the risen Christ is present, the Gospel is the power of life, the Church signifies trinitarian communion and ‘mission’ is a Pentecost.” (Chiara Lubich, Essential Writings)
“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.”