Por Rhonda Swita TUPELO – El 20 de julio de 2024, el Dr. Hosffman Ospino, reconocido profesor de teología de Boston College, habló en la iglesia St. James de Tupelo. St. James tiene la bendición de contar con una comunidad diversa de creyentes. El mensaje del Dr. Ospino fue de unidad y esperanza, centrándose en que somos una comunidad de muchas familias, una iglesia y una fe.
Dr. Hoffsman Ospino
El Dr. Ospino nos dio una lección de historia sobre la evolución del catolicismo durante los primeros tiempos de la vida estadounidense, aunque teniendo en cuenta que los católicos estaban presentes en el país desde el siglo XVI. A principios del siglo XIX sólo había un obispo y unas 400 iglesias. Pero en los 150 años siguientes llegaron muchos grupos numerosos de diversas nacionalidades, que trajeron su propia mano de obra y sacerdotes. Como resultado, se construyeron unas 20.000 iglesias. Pronto se construyeron 13.000 escuelas católicas, más de 300 universidades católicas y muchos hospitales y organizaciones de servicios sociales. Cada nacionalidad se mantuvo prácticamente aislada, construyendo comunidades en su propia lengua y evitando mezclarse entre grupos para preservar su identidad.
Sin embargo, a medida que las generaciones mayores iban falleciendo, las más nuevas adoptaban el inglés y la gente pasaba a formar parte del “crisol” de la cultura americana. La gente tenía trabajo y los niños se educaban en la fe católica. Las familias católicas eran fuertes en su fe católica. En 1950 había unos 30 millones de católicos en los Estados Unidos.
Durante las décadas de 1950 y 1960, importantes cambios sociales alejaron a un número significativo de católicos de las formas tradicionales de ser Iglesia. La inmigración procedente de Europa se había reducido y diversas revoluciones culturales, como el movimiento por los derechos de la mujer, las nuevas actitudes hacia la sexualidad y el Movimiento por los Derechos Civiles, redefinieron la vida católica en los Estados Unidos. Actitudes más desafortunadas, como la creciente apertura a tratar el derecho a “ terminar “ con la vida en el vientre materno como un derecho, se afianzaron en nuestra sociedad. Muchos católicos dejaron de practicar su fe. Esta tendencia se agravó a principios de la década de 2000 con los efectos del escándalo de los abusos sexuales a menores por parte del clero. La asistencia a misa disminuyó y miles de iglesias y escuelas católicas cerraron.
Aunque se podría pensar que el catolicismo americano está en declive, en realidad es todo lo contrario. Los nuevos católicos inmigrantes, principalmente de América Latina, el Caribe, Asia y África, y sus hijos nacidos en los Estados Unidos, están dando nueva vida a nuestras comunidades católicas. Buscan comunidades católicas para alimentar su fe. Esas comunidades ya existen. Debemos aprovechar las lecciones de nuestro pasado y adoptar formas más novedosas de evangelizar en medio de la diversidad que conforma el catolicismo americano para construir el reino de Dios en nuestras parroquias.
TUPELO – Padre Tim Murphy, Erin Bristow, Olga Soltero, Raquel Thomspon, Hosffman Ospino, Rhonda Swita, Lori Culp, Karen Mayfield y Lailah Valentine posan para una foto tras la presentación de Ospino sobre la aceptación de la diversidad. (Foto cortesía de Rhonda Swita)
El Dr. Ospino nos dio algunas ideas sobre cómo hacerlo. 1) Debemos educar a los padres – enseñarles primero, para que ellos puedan enseñar a sus hijos. 2) Considerar iniciativas familiares de formación en la fe. 3) Darnos cuenta de que ser multicultural es un don de Dios. Aceptémoslo. Eso es lo que somos. 4) Reconocer que la comunicación bilingüe está bien. Los padres hablan a sus hijos de diferentes maneras. 5) Todos nuestros esfuerzos pastorales deben conducir a construir comunión: con Dios, con nuestra iglesia, entre nosotros. 6) Practicar Misa, Mesa y Musa. Misa es una invitación a rezar juntos. Mesa es una llamada a comer juntos. No hay nada más sanador que comer juntos. Musa es una llamada a celebrar juntos con espíritu de fiesta. 7) Estar atentos a lo que funciona bien con los católicos hispanos y otros grupos. Estar abiertos a aprender cómo ser Iglesia desde las comunidades que renuevan el catolicismo americano.
El mensaje del Dr. Ospino puede resumirse así: La diversidad no es un problema. Es un don. Nuestra prioridad es facilitar el encuentro con Cristo. Evangelizar y edificar el reino de Dios, ¡y hacerlo con alegría!
(Rhonda Swita es la Directora de Formación en la Fe de la parroquia de St. James en Tupelo).
By Cindy Wooden CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – Cada cristiano y toda la Iglesia Católica deben aferrarse a la promesa de que “nada es imposible para Dios”, especialmente cuando se enfrentan a dificultades, dijo el Papa Francisco.
Reanudando sus audiencias semanales el 7 de agosto después de una pausa de verano de seis semanas, el Papa retomó su serie de discursos en audiencia sobre el papel del Espíritu Santo en la vida de la Iglesia. “Sin el Espíritu Santo la Iglesia no puede avanzar, la Iglesia no crece, la Iglesia no puede predicar”, dijo a los peregrinos y visitantes que se resguardaban del calor del verano en la Sala de Audiencias Pablo VI, con aire acondicionado.
Dos mujeres que portaban pancartas y pedían a gritos que la Iglesia declarara formalmente que las corridas de toros son pecado interrumpieron la lectura de un pasaje de la Biblia al comienzo de la audiencia. La seguridad las escoltó fuera de la sala de audiencias.
Observando cómo el Espíritu Santo vivifica y asiste a la Iglesia, el Papa Francisco dijo que la gente a menudo se pregunta: “¿Cómo es posible anunciar a Jesucristo y su salvación a un mundo que parece buscar solo el bienestar?”
Pope Francis speaks with members of the cultural group “Tonatiuh” from Monterrey, Mexico, at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Aug. 7, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
La respuesta, dijo, se da en los Hechos de los Apóstoles: “Recibiréis la fuerza del Espíritu Santo, que vendrá sobre vosotros, y seréis mis testigos”.
Fíjense, dijo el Papa, las palabras son casi las mismas que el ángel Gabriel dijo a María cuando ella preguntó cómo sería posible que concibiera y diera a luz al hijo de Dios.
“Lo que se dice de la Iglesia en general, vale también para nosotros, para cada bautizado”, dijo el Papa Francisco a la multitud. “Cada uno de nosotros se encuentra a veces, en la vida, en situaciones superiores a sus fuerzas y se pregunta: ‘¿Cómo puedo afrontar esta situación?’. Ayuda, en estos casos, repetirse a uno mismo lo que el ángel dijo a la Virgen: ‘Para Dios nada será imposible’”.
El Papa rezó para que todos encuentren la fuerza para seguir adelante “con esta reconfortante certeza en el corazón: ‘Nada es imposible para Dios’”.
“Si creemos esto, haremos milagros”, dijo. “Nada es imposible para Dios”.
Katie Ledecky, de Estados Unidos, compite en los 800 metros lisos femeninos durante los Juegos Olímpicos de París, el 2 de agosto de 2024, en La Defense Arena. Ledecky, graduada de la Escuela Stone Ridge del Sagrado Corazón en Bethesda, Maryland, ganó su novena medalla de oro olímpica. (Foto de OSV News/Marko Djurica, Reuters).
VATICANO CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – A sólo dos meses de que el Sínodo de los Obispos se reúna de nuevo en Roma, sus miembros latinoamericanos se reunieron para debatir cómo se puede implementar la sinodalidad en la Iglesia católica tras la clausura de la asamblea en octubre. En la sede del Consejo Episcopal Latinoamericano, conocido como CELAM, en Bogotá, Colombia, 42 miembros latinoamericanos de la asamblea sinodal -19 obispos, cinco sacerdotes, siete religiosas y 11 laicos- discutieron cómo la asamblea puede impulsar a la Iglesia a incorporar la sinodalidad en sus prácticas y cultura después de que termine el actual sínodo. El obispo Luis Marín de San Martín, subsecretario del Sínodo, abrió la reunión del 12 al 14 de agosto explicando que el objetivo del actual Sínodo es «fortalecer, desarrollar y concretar la sinodalidad en la Iglesia», informó la agencia de noticias del CELAM, ADN. El obispo afirmó la necesidad de pensar en la fase postsinodal del proceso, que incluye la necesidad de fortalecer la unidad de la Iglesia y dejar de lado los temores sobre la pluralidad en la Iglesia. El padre jesuita Giacomo Costa, secretario especial del sínodo, dijo que mientras la primera asamblea del sínodo consistió en encontrar áreas de convergencia y establecer un diálogo entre los miembros, la próxima asamblea debe centrarse en pensar «direcciones o pasos concretos para crecer como iglesia misionera».
CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS) – El Vaticano confirmó el 9 de agosto que siete sacerdotes expulsados de Nicaragua llegaron a Roma el 8 de agosto. Ellos habían sido detenidos en un asalto a una diócesis dirigida por un obispo en el exilio, mientras el régimen de Ortega continuaba debilitando a la Iglesia Católica y forzando a sus críticos al exilio. Los siete sacerdotes salieron del país el 7 de agosto y llegaron a Roma la noche siguiente, donde fueron recibidos por funcionarios del Vaticano, según un comunicado del gobierno nicaragüense del 8 de agosto. Fueron detenidos en una oleada de arrestos, la mayoría de ellos en la diócesis de Matagalpa, donde el exiliado obispo Rolando Álvarez sigue siendo el líder eclesiástico. El comunicado del gobierno no nombraba a los sacerdotes exiliados, pero Vatican Media identificó a los eclesiásticos como monseñor Ulises René Vega, monseñor Edgar Sacasa, y los padres Jairo Pravia, Víctor Godoy, Marlon Velásquez, Harvin Torrez y Silvio José Romero. Sacerdotes nicaragüenses en el exilio y laicos católicos lamentan que los fieles nicaragüenses se queden sin pastores, sin poder asistir a misa. “ La Diócesis de Matagalpa prácticamente ya no tiene clero. Hemos sido expulsados, apresados y obligados a huir. Las parroquias están quedando solas”, dijo a OSV News un sacerdote exiliado, familiarizado con la diócesis. El Vaticano no dio informes sobre los secuestrados.
MUNDO PARIS (OSV News) – Entre los medallistas olímpicos estadounidenses que lograron un lugar en el podio en París hay católicos que han expresado su dependencia de la fe a lo largo de los años mientras buscaban la excelencia en sus actividades atléticas El 3 de agosto, Ledecky se convirtió en la medallista de oro estadounidense más condecorada en cualquier deporte, así como en una de las dos únicas mujeres de cualquier país, en cualquier deporte, que ha ganado nueve medallas de oro. Era su cuarta medalla de oro olímpica consecutiva en los 800 libres. Tiene 14 medallas en total. Después de los Juegos de Tokio 2021, la graduada de una escuela católica declaró al Catholic Standard, periódico de la Arquidiócesis de Washington, que rezaba el Ave María antes de cada carrera para calmar los nervios, al igual que había hecho durante las Olimpiadas de 2012 y 2016. Ledecky, de 27 años, tiene nueve medallas olímpicas de oro, cuatro de plata y una de bronce. En París es compañera de equipo de dos ex alumnas de su instituto femenino, el Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart de Bethesda, Maryland: Phoebe Bacon y Erin Gemmell. Gemmell fue medallista junto a Ledecky en el relevo de 4×200 metros. Ellas forman parte de un grupo de atletas olímpicos estadounidenses que son católicos, fueron educados en la fe o asistieron a escuelas o universidades católicas y ahora compiten en París. La gimnasta olímpica estadounidense y medallista de oro en París Simone Biles, criada en la fe católica, ha dicho que su éxito se debe a Dios y a su fe. Ryan Murphy, que también se crió en el catolicismo y ha hablado de su fe y su vida de oración, se lleva a casa la medalla de bronce en los 100 metros espalda masculinos.
INDIANAPOLIS (OSV News) — Absolute silence filled Lucas Oil Stadium as tens of thousands of people dropped to their knees to adore Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament as the long-anticipated National Eucharistic Congress officially got underway on the evening of July 17 in Indianapolis. More than 100 spotlights trained on a large, golden monstrance on an altar in the center of the stadium as a powerful holy hour — which took place before any talks, music or greeting by the evening’s three emcees — began the congress’s first revival night filled with prayer, powerful speakers and praise-and-worship music.
Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minn., chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress, Inc., kneels in prayer before the monstrance during Eucharistic adoration at the opening revival night July 17, 2024, of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)
Just before Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota — the driving episcopal force behind the congress — walked onto the floor carrying the monstrance, the 30 perpetual pilgrims who had walked the four National Eucharistic Pilgrimage routes entered the stadium. Carrying icons of each route’s respective patron saints — St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, St. Junipero Serra, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Blessed Virgin Mary — the pilgrims took the final steps that officially completed their eight-week journey from points north, south, east and west across the U.S. to the July 17-21 congress in Indiana’s capital city.
After a time of silent prayer and praise and worship, Bishop Cozzens knelt for a second time in front of the monstrance.
“Lord, we wanted to give you the first words of our National Eucharistic Congress,” he said. Kneeling before Jesus in the Eucharist, Bishop Cozzens recounted how the National Eucharistic Revival — launched in 2022 — has led Catholics to gather to study, teach and pray with the Eucharist, spending countless hours in adoration and small groups, and in parish and diocesan initiatives.
“Lord, we made a National Eucharistic Pilgrimage for you,” he prayed. “For the last 65 days we brought your living presence across this land, across the East, West, North and South. We visited large churches and small churches. We had large processions in cities and small processions in prisons. We visited nursing homes and homeless shelters. Lord, we tried to share with everyone we met along the way your unspeakable love.”
He said the pilgrimage prayed for the country and the church and brought those prayers to the congress. He thanked Jesus for the miracles the pilgrims saw along the way: conversion, people return to the faith, physical and spiritual healings.
“We hope to see more,” he said.
He told Jesus that the tens of thousands of Catholics in the stadium had gathered there to give him thanks and praise and to be changed into “missionary disciples, people filled with the joy of the Gospel, people so grateful for the salvation you purchased for us.”
He prayed for deeper conversion for individuals, peace in wartorn countries, those affected by abuse, and unity in both the country and the church. Bishop Cozzens invited attendees to share in silence their own desires with Jesus, and then asked them to pray that the Lord would also reveal his desires for them.
“Jesus, I trust in you,” he prayed, and the stadium resounded as people echoed his prayer.
“Lord, we have come here because we want a revival, a Eucharistic revival, and we want every Catholic to realize that you are alive in the Eucharist, and to encounter your love,” he said. “And Lord, we know that this revival, it has to begin with us.”
After the holy hour concluded and Bishop Cozzens processed out with the Eucharist, the revival’s emcees then took the stage: Father Joshua Johnson, vocations director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Montse Alvarado, president of EWTN News — who greeted the attendees in Spanish and English — and Sister Miriam James Heidland, a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. The three talked about their own personal experiences with the Eucharist and what the congress meant to them before introducing the other speakers that evening.
Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the U.S., was the night’s keynote speaker. He opened with the reflection that “perhaps our main prayer for this Eucharistic congress should be this: that we as a church may grow in our unity so that we become more fruitful in our mission.”
Perpetual pilgrim MacKenzie Warrens with the Juan Diego Route processes in with other members of the group during the opening revival night of the National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis July 17, 2024. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)
He invited those present to reflect on the basic question of “what is Eucharistic revival?” and “how will we know that we are experiencing Eucharistic revival?”
Revival is “always accompanied by sacramental devotion,” he said, but it “must extend beyond devotional practices as well.”
“When we are truly revived by the Eucharist,” he said, “then our encounter with Christ’s real presence in the sacrament opens us to an encounter with him in the rest of our life. This means seeing him everywhere we go.”
He reminded those gathered that Christ “is also present in our encounters with people from whom we would otherwise consider ourselves divided” including “people from a different economic class or race, people who challenge our way of thinking.”
Living “a truly Eucharistic life,” he emphasized, means that adoration “spills over in our daily life, a life of relating to others, our way of seeing others.”
He encouraged those gathered to use their time in adoration over the week of the Eucharistic Congress to ask the Lord to reveal the places where they are resistant to surrendering to his will.
“He is the only one who can lead us to new life,” he concluded, “by following him, we can become true apostles of his Kingdom.”
Sister Bethany Madonna, local superior of the new Phoenix mission of the Sisters of Life, talked about how Jesus, crucified and risen, “wants to reveal himself” and bring his grace because of his love for each person.
“God knows you. God loves you. And chooses you … He has entrusted you with a mission that he has entrusted to no one else,” she said.
She said that Jesus “knows that we are hungry for love, and he chooses to give himself to us as food and drink.”
“We have this unquenchable thirst to be loved that no one and nothing can ever satisfy” but God, she explained.
Sister Bethany Madonna reminded people that when fear or failure can prevent them from drawing close to God’s love, “Jesus redeems everything.”
She shared the testimony of a woman who was terrified to go to confession because of two abortions she had when she was younger. She lived in shame and silence for 29 years, and when she made the appointment for the sacrament of reconciliation and drove to see the priest, she heard a whisper saying, “You don’t have to do it,” and, “This is too difficult … turn back.”
Praying Hail Marys all the way, she got to confession in tears; and after listening to her, the priest made the motion of picking up a lamb and said, “All of heaven rejoices … welcome home.”
Sister Bethany Madonna said that when the woman received Communion the next day, she said that “my life would be a ‘yes’ to God.”
The opening revival night of the National Eucharistic Congress already had a profound effect on participants who spoke with OSV News.
Belen Munoz, 18, of Rosa Park, New Jersey, said it was “encouraging” to see so many Catholics gathered for the congress.
Pilgrims pray during the opening revival night July 17, 2024, of the National Eucharistic Congress at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)
“Growing up in a secular community, it’s a totally different experience,” she said. “Getting just a taste of what we’re encountering here is amazing, and I can’t wait for the rest of the week.”
“Tonight just showed me that Jesus is just so alive in the Eucharist and that it’s just so obvious that he’s working through so many people,” said Molly Quinn, 18, from Naperville, Illinois. She added the experience “just made me realize that we’re not alone in this world and there are so many people who are searching for Christ like I am.”
“I’ve been having a rough patch in my life and so coming here to this and seeing how God can work through everyone is truly inspiring and powerful and makes me feel revived personally,” added 18-year-old Michelle Jurec, also from Naperville. “I can’t wait for the rest of the days.”
Lotty Cantrelle, 63, a nurse from Lockport, Louisiana, stood and sang to a praise and worship song near the end of the evening. She said her pastor “volun-told” her to come to the congress — but after experiencing the opening revival session, “I know that my priest knew I needed this,” she said.
“A person’s heart would have to be made of stone not to be changed by that,” she said, noting Sister Bethany Madonna’s words about trusting Jesus.
“That gave me a lot of comfort,” she said. “I think this is a journey to my healing and to becoming my former self, who used to be more joyful. So I am ready.”
(OSV News Editor-in-Chief Gretchen R. Crowe, National News Editor Peter Jesserer Smith, Senior Writer Maria Wiering, Culture Editor Lauretta Brown and Spanish Editor Maria Pia Negro Chin contributed to this report.)
By Kate Scanlon WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Prior to the second anniversary of a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its prior abortion precedent, pro-life activists said much of their work remains to be done.
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, told OSV News in a June 10 interview “we realized quickly we have a challenge on our hands,” pointing to losses at the ballot box after the Dobbs ruling, with more such contests on the horizon.
“So after two years, there is still reason to celebrate because we know God’s grace is more powerful than all this, but also, we have to embrace the challenge that faces us,” he said.
The Supreme Court issued its historic decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization June 24, 2022, a little over a month after Politico published a leaked draft of Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion in the case. The leak caused a public firestorm before the court issued its official ruling and is seen as the most significant breach of the court’s confidentiality in its history.
Pro-life demonstrators in Washington celebrate outside the Supreme Court June 24, 2022, as the court overruled the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision. (OSV News photo/Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters)
The Dobbs case involved a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks, in which the state directly challenged the high court’s previous abortion-related precedents in Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). The Supreme Court ultimately overturned its own prior rulings, undoing nearly a half-century of its own precedent on the issue and returning it to legislatures.
While Roe and its ensuing precedents were in place, states were generally barred from restricting abortion prior to viability, or the point at which a child could survive outside the womb. When Roe was issued in 1973, fetal viability was considered to be 28 weeks gestation, but current estimates are generally considered to be 23-24 weeks, with some estimates as low as 22 weeks as medical technology continues to improve. After the Dobbs ruling, states across the country quickly moved to either restrict or expand access to abortion.
While supporters often described Roe as settled law, opponents argued the court in 1973 improperly legalized abortion nationwide, a matter opponents said should have been left to Congress or state governments. Many, including the Catholic Church, opposed the ruling on moral grounds that the practice takes the life of an unborn child. Opponents of the ruling challenged it for decades, both in courts and in the public square, such as the national March for Life held annually in Washington.
Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life organization, told OSV News that after Dobbs, there was “so much confusion about what that means and anger and frustration from people who are confused about the inherent dignity of the unborn child and how abortion impacts women. So, I think that we’re still very much in the middle of that reverberation.”
When discussing abortion policy, Mancini said, pro-life advocates should strive “to get very clear” on the specific state, law or situations involved “because there’s a lot of misinformation out there right now.” In the years following Dobbs, some women in states that restricted abortion said they were denied timely care for miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies or experienced other adverse pregnancy outcomes as a result of medical professionals’ hesitation due to unclear abortion legislation. But pro-life activists said laws restricting abortion contained exceptions for such circumstances. Their opponents claimed bill texts insufficiently addressed those circumstances or lacked clarity on exceptions.
Public support for legal abortion also increased after Roe was overturned, according to multiple polls conducted in the years following the Dobbs ruling. In multiple elections since the ruling, ballot measures on abortion have so far proven elusive for the pro-life movement. In elections in both 2022 and 2023, voters in Ohio, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Vermont and Kansas either rejected new limitations on abortion or expanded legal protections for it.
Kelsey Pritchard, state public affairs director for SBA Pro-Life America, told OSV News in an interview that since the Dobbs decision, “we’ve gained major ground in the fight for life.”
“And you look at the states, and today we have 24 states that have laws defending life at 15 weeks or sooner, and 20 of those states have a law that protects babies with a heartbeat,” she said.
Pritchard said pro-life advocates must respond to “fear-mongering” about state abortion restrictions, including arguing that “there is a life of the mother exception in every single state” with restrictions. Asked about how pro-life advocates should approach ballot initiatives on abortion, Bishop Burbidge said that efforts have been made, and should continue to be made, “to win minds by proclaiming the truth and proclaiming the Gospel of Life.”
“We have to speak to the hearts of people who love women and love children. So do we. So do we, and we want to be there for every woman and every child,” he added.
Bishop Burbidge said that those seeking to aid the pro-life cause should offer their prayers, and they can sign up for alerts and resources on the committee’s work by visiting respectlife.org.
“I think beyond our role in advocacy too, the Catholic Church has long offered hope, healing, and material support to vulnerable mothers and children,” he said, noting that Walking with Moms in Need and Project Rachel are a means of such support.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington.
By Terry Dickson, Gulf Pine Catholic BILOXI – After more than two years of prayer, planning and anticipation, pilgrims on the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage recently made their way across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For organizers and participants, it was truly a week to remember.
“This has been an amazing week. I think the Holy Spirit has had a humongous hand in it,” said seminarian Ricky Molsbee, a member of the Eucharistic Revival Committee for the Diocese of Biloxi. “Listening to the pilgrims’ testimonies has been one of the biggest gifts. To see the youth of our church mixed in with members of the religious communities and how they are filled with the Holy Spirit and how they want to share and evangelize with everybody has been an incredible thing to witness. You can just feel their love for the Eucharist.”
BILOXI – The St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage traveled through the Mississippi Gulf Coast between June 10-14. A group of parishioners and Knights of Columbus from St. Francis of Assisi in Madison traveled down to participate in the event on Thursday, June 13. (Photo by Michael Barrett Photography)
Molsbee highlighted walking all three days of the route as the pinnacle of his experience, spanning from Our Lady of the Gulf Church in Bay St. Louis to Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral in Biloxi. “I was privileged to walk all 22 miles,” he said. It was tough. It wasn’t easy. We baked a lot in the hot sun, but having the opportunity to walk with our Lord was something that I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
Deacon William Stentz, who a part of the committee, agreed with Molsbee’s sentiments.“Our church is alive,” he said. “Beyond the beauty of the people who attended all the special Masses and especially those who processed – some were with walkers and canes, some were children, some were parents, some were single people, some were from religious orders, and some were clergy – what was most surprising was the number of passersby who would just fall to their knees when they got a glimpse of the Monstrance containing Jesus.
“Cars would stop in turn lanes or park on the grass along Highway 90. People would honk their horns lovingly as they passed by, people would just stand and stare from their yards, people would stare from their windows, construction workers and delivery truck drivers would stop and try to take it all in. If they didn’t know what was going on, we have to pray that the Holy Spirit has sparked curiosity in them and they’ll reach out, wondering what do those Catholics have that I don’t have?”
Chantel Normand, a parishioner of Our Mother of Mercy Parish in Pass Christian, said she felt “a sense of wonder” as she saw Jesus being carried in procession along the Gulf Coast, comparing it to the thrill she gets when she rides her favorite Disney ride, Animal Kingdom’s Avatar Flight of Passage.
“Witnessing the magic of the Holy Spirit bringing families, parishes, and cultures together in solidarity was truly profound,” she said. “To witness the pleasure of seeing Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and experience the same feelings I felt as a child took me to a new level of magic, a magic that could only be found in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Father Rofinus Jas, SVD, pastor of Our Mother of Mercy Pass Christian, found the pilgrimage deeply moving. “It was very moving for me to witness Jesus … walking, holding, touching, talking, praying, chanting, singing, and reflecting that our Lord Jesus was with us,” he said. “It was a joyful experience for me to see Jesus personally by touching and holding Him in my hands during procession.”
Reflecting on the impact of the event, Father Jas was moved by the strong sense of community. “Along the way, we walked with Jesus; we united with one heart and many faces in praying and thanksgiving and believing with our whole hearts that God never abandons us.”
Ann Hale, a parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Long Beach, shared her perspective: “To feel like a disciple from 2,000 years ago following our precious Lord was an experience like no other. It was a privilege to show the world the beautiful sacrifice of Jesus’ love.”
Looking forward, Molsbee outlined the next steps for the Eucharistic Revival movement. “Year three of the Eucharistic Revival begins after the Eucharistic Congress, which takes place this month in Indianapolis. After that, we are going to be going out on mission,” he said.
“This is a grassroots movement. It starts with everybody in the pews. … But, when you have the love of the Eucharist, you can’t shut up about it. … It’s like what Peter says to Jesus after the Bread of Life Discourse when He asks the 12 apostles, ‘Are you going to leave too?’ and Peter says, ‘To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.’”
The pilgrimage on the St. Juan Diego Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage was not just a physical journey but a spiritual awakening for many. It brought together a diverse community in profound unity and renewed their commitment to the Eucharistic faith, echoing the words of St. Francis of Assisi: ‘Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.’”
CRYSTAL SPRINGS – Bishop Joseph Kopacz, Yvonne Florczak-Seeman and the 2023/2024 Tomato Queen, Lindsay Willett cut the ribbon at the new Butterfly Garden in downtown Crystal Springs. The facility is centered around the theme of: “A Place of Healing and Transformation” and is specific to helping women in the community. (Photo courtesy of Jeannine M. Smith)
MADISON – (Above) Children learn about the ichthus fish symbol as they make their own beaded fish at Vacation Bible School at St. Francis parish. (Below) Children sang VBS theme songs for parents and friends at their closing program. (Photos by Mary Catherine George)
VICKSBURG – On Sunday, June 23, family and friends joined Father Rusty Vincent to celebrate his 10th ordination anniversary to the priesthood. This was the first time his family all joined together at the same Mass since Father Rusty became a priest on May 31, 2014. (Photo by Connie Hosemann)Fr. Anthony Quyet poses for a photo with Thien Pham, Conner Le and Francis Ho after Mass recognizing recent graduates. (Destiny Pham is not in the picture)JACKSON – Young adults gathered for Trivia on Tap at Fondren Guitars on Wednesday, June 26.
I must have skipped the chapter in my “how to parent” instruction manual where it talked about weddings. Not my wedding, of course, but all the weddings of my kids, the friends of my kids and the kids of my friends.
For me, the year 2024 is turning into a banner year for nuptials, including the wedding of one of my sons. Yet we have been invited to at least five other weddings this year as well. We are swamped by the logistics of attending. We get save-the-date cards with a photo, then the actual wedding invitations. We negotiate wedding websites to R.S.V.P. and send gifts. In case you didn’t know, department store gift registries are now as old fashioned as department stores. It is far busier for some of our children, who have even more weddings to attend, bridesmaid dresses to buy, bachelor parties to throw, and travel and hotel expenses to cover.
I can’t complain, however. My wife and I are cheered by this nuptial rush, for the statistics about young people getting married have been falling for years. Marriage has been in something approaching freefall since the 1960s. Catholic marriage rates have been dropping precipitously as well.
Some of this freefall is due to a rampant distrust of institutions that harkens back to Mae West (“Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution yet”). Some of it reflects a distrust of the church itself. Some of it is cautiousness about commitment in an era of divorce. And some of it is the result of a crisis in dating.
We are hearing far too many stories of young men and young women (and some not-so-young men and women) who want marriage but are not finding suitable partners. Even worse are the stories of young men and women who don’t know how, or are afraid, to ask someone out on a date. Colleges are even offering dating instruction courses, for which there appears to be a real need. Young men tell me they are afraid that any expression of interest may be interpreted as harassment, and young women tell me of men who seem to be mired in perpetual adolescence.
And for parents who worry about their single children, it is usually made absolutely clear to them that they are not allowed to play matchmaker. Meanwhile, their (quite wonderful) children wait and wait for lightning to strike. But I digress.
What I want to tell all the couples that are getting married this year is that they should not focus on the wedding day. It is just one day, after all. It is not worth going into debt for or causing all your friends to go into debt for. The destination, the trappings, the dress – these are all irrelevant when compared to what this day signifies the start of: a shared life together.
After 41 years of marriage, I can testify that (a) marriage is great, (b) marriage does take work (on oneself), and (c) all the effort is worth it.
For Catholics, the challenge and the joy of “becoming one flesh” is that the couple is committing to helping each other become more like Jesus, that is to grow in life-giving and generous love. That is why we get married, why we hope to have children, why we make a lifelong commitment. Marriage is an ongoing seminar in selflessness. It’s not always easy. We even fail at times. But after 41 years of marriage, I can testify that the rewards are greater than anything those young couples can imagine right now.
(Greg Erlandson is an award-winning Catholic publisher, editor and journalist whose column appears monthly at OSV News.)
