April 1, 2025.
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April 1, 2025.
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April 1, 2025.
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Pope approves next phase of synod, setting path to 2028 assembly
By Justin McLellan
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis has approved the next phase of the Synod of Bishops on synodality, launching a three-year implementation process that will culminate in an ecclesial assembly at the Vatican in October 2028.
In a letter published March 15, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the synod, announced that the synod’s new phase will focus on applying its conclusions at all levels of the church, with dioceses, bishops’ conferences and religious communities working to integrate synodality into daily church life before the meeting at the Vatican in 2028.
“For now, therefore, a new synod will not be convened; instead, the focus will be on consolidating the path taken so far,” he wrote in the letter addressed to all bishops, eparchs and the presidents of national and regional bishops’ conferences.
Cardinal Grech told bishops that Pope Francis approved the three-year plan March 11 at Rome’s Gemelli hospital where he has been being treated since Feb. 14.
The final document of the synod on synodality, approved by Pope Francis in October 2024, emphasized synodality as essential to the church’s mission and called for greater lay participation, mandatory pastoral councils and continued study on women in ministry and seminary formation.
Over the next three years, dioceses, bishops’ conferences and religious communities will work to integrate synodal principles into church life with the guidance of a Vatican-issued document scheduled to be published in May.
Evaluation assemblies at diocesan, national and continental levels from 2027 to early 2028 will assess progress before a final ecclesial assembly at the Vatican in October 2028, where church leaders will reflect on the synodal journey and discern future steps, the cardinal said.
According to the apostolic constitution “Universi Dominici Gregis,” which governs procedures when the papacy is vacant, a council or Synod of Bishops is immediately suspended when a pope dies or resigns. All meetings, decisions and promulgations must cease until a new pope explicitly orders their continuation, or they are considered null.
In the letter, Cardinal Grech noted that implementation phase of the synod “provides the framework” for implementing the results of the 10 Vatican-appointed study groups which, since March 2024, have been examining key issues raised during the first session of the synodal assembly in 2023, such as the role of women in the church, seminary formation and church governance.
The study groups were scheduled to present their findings to the pope before June 2025; however, they can also offer an “interim report” then as they continue their work, Cardinal Grech said.
The cardinal added that a key component of the implementation process will be the strengthening of synodal teams, composed of clergy, religious and laypeople, who will work alongside bishops to accompany “the ordinary synodal life of local churches.”
In an interview with Vatican News accompanying the letter’s publication March 15, Cardinal Grech said that this phase of the synodal process is not about adding bureaucratic tasks but about “helping the churches to walk in a synodal style.” He explained that the church must continue “a path of accompaniment and evaluation” rather than treating the synod as a one-time event.
The cardinal encouraged local churches to engage in ongoing reflection on the insights of the synod rather than simply replicating past listening sessions, warning that the synod’s implementation “must not take place in isolation.”
The 2028 ecclesial assembly, Cardinal Grech said, will be an opportunity to “gather the fruits of the journey” and offer the pope “a real ecclesial experience to inform his discernment as the successor of Peter, with perspectives to propose to the entire church.”
Christian joy is trusting in God in every situation, pope writes
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christian joy is for everyone, not just for a privileged few, Pope Francis wrote.
“Christian joy is reliance on God in every situation in life,” he said in a message to people taking part in the second synodal assembly of the Catholic Church in Italy.
The assembly, which is meeting at the Vatican March 31-April 3, is part of a synodal process the church in Italy began in 2021. About 1,000 people – including more than 440 lay men and women – were taking part, representing 219 of the 226 dioceses in the country.
“The church is not made up of majorities or minorities, but of the holy faithful people of God who walk in history, enlightened by the Word and by the Spirit,” the pope said in his text, which was read by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian bishops’ conference, during the opening session March 31.
“Christian joy is never exclusive, but always inclusive, it is for everyone. It takes place in the details of everyday life and in sharing: it is a joy with broad horizons, accompanying a welcoming style,” Pope Francis wrote.
This joy is God’s gift, he wrote. However, “it is not an easy joy, it is not born of convenient solutions to problems, it does not avoid the cross, but springs from the certainty that the Lord never leaves us alone.”
It is a joy that the pope has experienced himself during his hospitalization, he added, “and now in this time of convalescence” as well.
The synodal assembly planned to discuss and vote on a series of concrete proposals and suggestions that emerged after a long process of listening and discerning, starting at the local church level. The bishops’ permanent council and the conference’s general assembly, which is meeting at the end of May, will finalize the proposals, which will be given to the local churches for their reception.
In his address to the assembly in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, Cardinal Zuppi said the outcome of their synodal journey will depend on their approach as “pilgrims of hope,” who set out alongside others with humble backpacks and not set apart and above others, just shining “beacons” for others to follow.
The hope is to put the Gospel back into everyday life and discourse, and to build “open communities, full of God and humanity,” he said.
Calendar of Events
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
CAMDEN – Sacred Heart, Intercultural Competence Workshop for Parish Leaders, Saturday, April 26 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Presenter: Deacon Juan Pagan of the Diocese of Lafayette. Explore what is culture and more. Details: Sister Amelia at amelia.breton@jacksondiocese.org.
GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Millions of Monicas – Praying with confidence for our children, each Tuesday from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the church. Join with other mothers and grandmothers as we pray for our children’s faithful return to the church. Details: email millionsofmonicas@stjosephgluckstadt.com.
JACKSON – Cathedral of St. Peter, Chrism Mass, Tuesday, April 15 at 11:30 a.m. and Tenebrae Music Service on Wednesday, April 16 at 5:30 p.m.
OFFICE OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION – The OCE hosts a Zoom Rosary the first Wednesday of each month during the school year at 7 p.m. The upcoming Rosary is on May 7. Details: Join the rosary via zoom at https://bit.ly/zoomrosary2024.
OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Divine Mercy Holy Hour, Sunday, April 27 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Details: church office (662) 895-5007.
PARISH, FAMILY & SCHOOL EVENTS
BATESVILLE – St. Mary, Live Stations of the Cross, Friday, April 18 at 2 p.m. Details: church office (662) 563-2273.
CANTON – Catholic Charities, Birdies for Born Free Golf Tournament, Tuesday, June 10, registration and lunch at 11:30 a.m. and tournament begins at 12:30 p.m. Details: register at https://www.catholiccharitiesjackson.org/event-details/birdies-for-born-free. For more information contact deja.errington@ccjackson.org or (601) 355-8634.
COLUMBUS – Annunciation School, Easter Festival, Sunday, April 13 from 2-4 p.m. Enjoy games, prizes, crafts, snacks and egg hunts by grade for ages infant through fifth grade. Be sure to bring your Easter basket. Details: school office (662) 328-4479.
CORINTH – St. James the Less, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, April 20 between Masses. Details: church office (662) 331-5184.
GREENVILLE – St. Joseph, Central Grocery Muffuletta Sale, Thursday, May 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pickup location is in parish hall. Cost: $25 with proceeds going to St. Joseph School. Tickets available in church and school office. Details: church office (662) 335-5251.
HERNANDO – Holy Spirit, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, April 13 at 11:30 a.m. Details: church office (662) 429-7851.
JACKSON – Catholic Charities, Bishop’s Ball, Saturday, July 19 at the Two Mississippi Museums, with cocktail hour at 6 p.m. and auction beginning at 7 p.m. Early bird ticket sale ends May 15. Details: https://event.gives/bb25.
JACKSON – Holy Ghost, 50th Anniversary of the Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary, Saturday, June 21. More information to come.
JACKSON – St. Richard, Men’s Prayer Breakfast with Bishop Kopacz, Monday, April 14, beginning with Mass at 6:30 a.m. and breakfast provided by the Knights of Columbus at 7 a.m. in Foley Hall. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
JACKSON – St. Richard School, Flight to the Finish 5k and Fun Run, Saturday, May 10 at 9 a.m. Details: Register at https://runsignup.com/Race/MS/Jackson/FlighttotheFinish.
JACKSON – Sister Thea Bowman School, Drawdown 2025, Saturday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. Grand prize is $5,000. Tickets cost $120; with additional $15 for second chance. Join us for fellowship, food, entertainment, silent auction and more! Details: email stbdrawdown@gmail.com or visit https://bit.ly/STBSDD2025.
MADISON – St. Francis, Live Stations of the Cross, Friday, April 18 at 2 p.m. Details: church office (601) 856-5556.
NATCHEZ – Cathedral School, Crawfish Countdown, Friday, May 2. Save the date.
OLIVE BRANCH – Queen of Peace, Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday, April 12 at 10 a.m. Details: church office (662) 895-5007.
PEARL – St. Jude, Easter Egg Hunt, Sunday, April 13 at 11:45 a.m. (after Sunday School class). Details: church office (601) 939-3181.
PILGRIMAGES
HOLY LAND – Pilgrimage to Holy Land: Join Father Mark Shoffner, pastor of St. John Oxford, July 21-31, 2025. Details: lpjp.org, then click on “All Pilgrimages” and “Holy Land.” Details: church office (662) 234-6073.
MARIAN SHRINES – Pilgrimage to Marian Shrines (Fatima, Spain and Lourdes) with Father Lincoln Dall and Deacon John McGregor, Sept, 15-24, 2025. Details: for more information visit www.206tours.com/frlincoln.
ROME/LISBON/FATIMA – Pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, Lisbon and Fatima with Father Carlisle Beggerly, Oct. 4-15, 2025. Cost: $5,799 per person (includes airfare from anywhere in the U.S.) Details: contact Pat Nause at (601) 604-0412; Proximo Travel at (855) 842-8001 or proximotravel.com. Mention trip #1181.
FEATURE PHOTO: Pastor Installation …
CSA feature: Campus Ministry
For Griffin Mahoney, ministry at Mississippi State University’s Cowbell Catholic was a natural step. Involved from the beginning of his time at Mississippi State, he immediately felt at home. The friendships, faith formation and strong community made a lasting impact on him. When the opportunity arose to serve as interim campus minister, he gladly stepped in, seeing it as a way to give back to the ministry that had shaped him so deeply.
“I had a gap semester, and Father Jason (Johnston) asked if I would be interested in the role while they searched for a full-time minister,” Mahoney shared. “It allows me to serve the parish and the students and contribute to it being a haven for Catholic students.”
For Mahoney, the role is about serving the Lord and contributing to the church. He sees ministry as a daily call to trust in God’s plan and remain open to His will.
“I must always ask for the Holy Spirit to grant me wisdom and help me surrender all things to His greater glory,” he explained. “I feel the Lord answering that prayer when the students love our events, or they appreciate my advice.”
Mahoney credits his first campus minister, Joe Terbrack, as an inspiration.
“Joe was a role model for me, always offering guidance. When he left, we gave him a St. Joseph Challenge Coin, a tradition for Men’s Campus Ministry leaders. Seeing his joy in that moment was incredibly moving.”
Encouragement also comes from students he has mentored.
“One student told me that reaching out to him and inviting him to coffee meant so much that he now does the same for other new students. His affirmation reminds me of the incredible power an invitation can be, and being present to others.”
Mahoney is grateful for those who support the Catholic Service Appeal.
“Your sacrifices help us build our Campus Ministry program and deepen our relationship with God. Being a part of Campus Ministry has formed me into a man of Christ, a man of the church – a man for others. Even the smallest sacrifice will do – the Lord will do the rest.”
Heart of a Deacon: From discernment to ordination
GUEST COLUMN
By Deacon Wesley Lindsay
There is a saying I have heard all my life, and it still rings true: “The Lord moves in mysterious ways.” My faith journey is a living testament to this truth. When I look back on each misstep, each wrong turn, and every encounter, both good and bad, I can now see that they all prepared me for the calling I answered more than seven years ago. At each of the three levels of my progression – discernment, formation and ordination – God has revealed more and more of Himself and His plan.
When I was much younger, I believed I was ready to understand the “real” message of the Almighty. However, Hebrews 5:12-14 compares followers of God to children who must be fed with milk because they are not yet mature enough for solid food. I thought differently about myself and craved the solid food of spiritual maturity. Be careful what you ask for – you just may get it.
Discernment
God’s hand was moving in my life, even when I had no clue. A friend and Brother Knight encouraged me to apply for the permanent diaconate. There was just one problem: the application process was already closed. However, I decided to test a core Christian tenet: faith. I submitted my application anyway, just to see what would happen. To my surprise, it was accepted despite being late! I was admitted to aspirancy.
The aspirancy period is when prospective candidates begin to learn about the ministry and duties of the permanent deacon. For married men, their wives are encouraged to attend the monthly meetings, usually held on Saturdays. This step is crucial because a wife’s active support and consent are required at each stage of her husband’s progression toward ordination. She must write a letter indicating her support for his journey. If the wife is not fully on board, the permanent diaconate is not in that man’s future.
Formation
After about nine months of aspirancy, my six brother candidates and I had to write a letter to our bishop requesting admission to candidacy. This is when our real formation began. We embarked on a Master’s degree-level religious education program directed by Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. This was our seminary of Christian education. Along the way, we completed practicums specific to our Catholic faith, such as homiletics and the sacraments of baptism and marriage.
A funny thing happened at each of these steps: I began to notice a change not only in myself but in my fellow candidates as well. This is no slight to them – from the start, they were already good, God-fearing men of service! Yet somehow, their goodness was magnified, and they became, in my opinion, even stronger in the faith.
The hardest part of formation, in my experience, was keeping an open mind. I thought I knew the Bible and the ways of the Almighty. Boy, was I mistaken! Isaiah 55:8-9 made this point abundantly clear to me. This is where Spring Hill College truly shined. All our instructors provided the help and support we needed, making the educational experience second to none. Reading a variety of Christian authors and texts was fundamental, and now I have an extensive theological library. Formation also taught me valuable time management skills – we all learned to appreciate the blessing of a 45-minute time gap!
Ordination
July 16, 2022, will forever be one of the happiest days of my life. Almost five years of preparation had led me to that moment. Another chapter had begun, filled with the promise and expectation of serving God and His people.
In the nearly three years since my ordination, my eyes have witnessed so much – some good, some bad. At this stage of my journey, I hold onto the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:12-13: “I have the strength for everything through Him who empowers me.” Thanks be to God!
For more information on the permanent diaconate visit https://jacksondiocese.org/office-of-the-permanent-diaconate.
(Deacon Wesley Lindsay was ordained in 2022 and serves at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Jackson.)
What are the 14 traditional Stations of the Cross?
By D.D. Emmons
(OSV News) – Permanently affixed, the 14 stations adorn parishes around the world. They are visible reminders of the last hours of Christ on earth, but, moreover, the Way of the Cross is symbolic of our lifelong journey filled with difficulties and marked with personal crosses. Unlike the followers of Christ on that Good Friday, we know that the 14th station is not the end, that death does not win; rather, in his sacrifice, we find the sure knowledge of eternal life.
Some of the 14 traditional stations are not found in the Gospels but have been passed down through tradition:
First Station: Jesus is condemned to death (Mk 15:6-15).
Second Station: Jesus carries his cross (Jn 19:15-17).
Third Station: Jesus falls the first time.
Fourth Station: Jesus meets his mother.
Fifth Station: Simon the Cyrene is made to bear the cross (Mk 15:21).
Sixth Station: Veronica wipes the face of Jesus.
Seventh Station: Jesus falls the second time.
Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem (Lk 23:27-31).
Ninth Station: Jesus falls a third time.
Tenth Station: Jesus is stripped of his garments (Mt 27:35, Lk 23:34).
Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the cross (Lk 23:33-43).
Twelfth Station: Jesus dies on the cross (Lk 23:44-46).
Thirteenth Station: Jesus is taken down from the cross (Jn 19: 38).
Fourteenth Station: Jesus is laid in the tomb (Jn 19: 38-42).
While the three falls of Jesus are not found in the Gospels, it is likely that he fell from the weight of the cross beam, which typically weighed more than 100 pounds, and because of his weakened condition from the scourging. That Jesus met his mother as he struggled along is most probable since she was always near him; finally, that some brave Christian stepped out of the crowd to wipe the blood, spit and sweat from his face also is likely.
The stations entered church devotion as Christians who could not visit Jerusalem began to erect local replicas of the holy sites based on information from people who had been to the city, such as the crusaders. Initially there was no continuity or standardization among these structures; some included as many as 37 stops, others as few as seven. Finally, in 1731, Pope Clement XII established the number of stations as 14.
In 1991, Pope St. John Paul II introduced a version of this devotion based entirely on the Scriptures. All 14 stations and the accompanying meditations can be found in the Bible. The Scriptural Stations are an alternative to the traditional Way of the Cross.
(D.D. Emmons writes from Pennsylvania.)