Author Archives: Tereza Ma

The Loss of Heaven and the Fear of Hell

Posted on by
Reply
Father Ron Rolheiser

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Growing up as a Roman Catholic, like the rest of my generation, I was taught a prayer called, The Act of Contrition. Every Catholic back then had to memorize it and say it during or after going to confession. The prayer started this way: Oh, my God, I am truly sorry for having offended thee and I detest all of my sins because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell.
To dread the loss of heaven and fear the pains of hell can seem like one and the same thing. They’re not. There’s a huge moral distance between dreading the loss of heaven and fearing the pains of hell. The prayer wisely separates them. Fear of hell is based upon a fear of punishment, dreading the loss of heaven is based upon a fear of not being a good, loving person. There’s a huge difference between living in fear of punishment and living in fear of not being a good a person. We’re more mature, humanly and as Christians, when we’re more worried about not being loving enough than when we’re fearful that we will be punished for doing something wrong.
Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, I breathed in the spirituality and catechesis of the Roman Catholicism of the time. In the Catholic ethos then (and this was essentially the same for Protestants and Evangelicals) the eschatological emphasis was a lot more about the fear of going to hell than it was about being a loving person. As a Catholic kid, along with my peers, I worried a lot about not committing a mortal sin, that is, doing something out of selfishness or weakness that, if unconfessed before I died, would send me to hell for all eternity. My fear was that I might go to hell rather than that I might not be a very loving person who would miss out on love and community. And so I worried about not being bad rather than about being good. I worried that I would do something that was mortally sinful, that would send me to hell; but I didn’t worry as much about having a heart big enough to love as God loves. I didn’t worry as much about forgiving others, about letting go of hurts, about loving those who are different from me, about being judgmental, or about being so tribal, racist, sexist, nationalistic, or narrow in my religious views that I would be uncomfortable sitting down with certain others at the God’s banquet table.
The heavenly table is open to all who are willing to sit down with all. That’s a line from a John Shea poem and it spells out succinctly, I believe, a non-negotiable condition for going to heaven, namely, the willingness and capacity to love everyone and to sit down with everyone. It’s non-negotiable for this reason: How can we be at the heavenly table with everyone if for some reason of pride, wound, temperament, bitterness, bigotry, politics, nationalism, color, race, religion or history, we aren’t open to sit down with everyone?
Jesus teaches this too, just in a different way. After giving us the Lord’s Prayer which ends with the words, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” he adds this: “If you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you.” Why can’t God forgive us if we don’t forgive others? Has God arbitrarily singled out this one condition as his pet criterion for going to heaven? No.
We cannot sit at the heavenly banquet table if we are still selective as to whom we can sit down with. If, in the next life, like here in this life, we are selective as to whom we love and embrace, then heaven would be the same as earth, with factions, bitterness, grudges, hurt and every kind of racism, sexism, nationalism, and religious fundamentalism keeping us all in our separate silos. We can only sit at the heavenly banquet when are hearts are wide enough to embrace everyone else at the table. Heaven demands a heart open to universal embrace.
And so, as I get older, approach the end of my life and accept that I will soon face my Maker, I worry less and less about going to hell and worry more and more about the bitterness, anger, ingratitude and non-forgiveness that still remains in me. I worry less about committing a mortal sin and more about whether I’m gracious, respectful and forgiving towards others. I worry more about the loss of heaven than the pains of hell, that is, I worry that I could end up like the older brother of the prodigal son, standing outside the Father’s house, excluded by anger rather than by sin.
Still, I’m grateful for the Act of Contrition of my youth. Fear of hell isn’t a bad place from which to start.

(Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX.)

Ben-Hur: must-see movie for Catholics

Posted on by
Reply
Melvin Arrington, Jr.

GUEST COLUMN
By Melvin Arrington
When I was a boy of ten or twelve I could go see a movie at one of the theaters in downtown Jackson, carrying just a dollar in my pocket. In those days I could buy a ticket, get popcorn and a coke, and go home with change from my dollar. That time is long past, but many of the movies of that era remain firmly fixed in my memory.
One such film is the 1959 blockbuster Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, winner of eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Cinematography. No other motion picture in cinematic history has garnered more Oscars. This year for its sixtieth anniversary, Ben-Hur returns to the big screen for a limited engagement in select cities around the country.
Why all this fuss over a sixty-year-old movie? Well, for one thing, Hollywood studios rarely rise to such heights of filmmaking these days, so when they have a revival of one of the great classics we should take advantage of the opportunity to see it. This is one the entire family can enjoy together, although with a running time of three hours and forty minutes some may feel like they’re doing penance by sitting still that long. However, there is an intermission, so it is possible to remain for the entire movie. Those who do so will be richly rewarded.
Based on General Lew Wallace’s 1880 bestselling historical novel, the film centers around Judah Ben-Hur (played by Charlton Heston), a wealthy and influential Jewish merchant living in Jerusalem in the first century. Judah’s story begins in 26 A.D. when he runs afoul of the occupying Roman forces and his childhood friend turned enemy, the ambitious tribune Messala. After being forcibly separated from his family and from Esther, the woman he loves, Judah is impressed into service as a galley slave, a punishment tantamount to a death sentence. Once a man of peace, he now harbors only feelings of hatred for Messala and becomes obsessed with exacting revenge on his former friend.
Although essentially a drama, Ben-Hur contains plenty of action and adventure, including a fierce naval battle in which the Roman ship on which Judah serves gets rammed. But by far the most thrilling episode is the iconic chariot race, pitting Judah and Messala against each other with honor and glory going to the victor.
Since the film opens with the Nativity and ends with the Crucifixion, Judah’s story is essentially situated within the framework of the life of Christ. When Jesus appears on screen He is tastefully and reverently depicted. Fittingly, in these scenes director William Wyler always shows the Savior’s face turned away from the camera.
Judah experiences several life-changing moments, but two stand out above the rest. In the first we see him chained to his fellow galley slaves as they march through Nazareth. There, a local carpenter, noticing that he is literally dying of thirst, takes pity on him and offers him a cup of water, thereby saving his life. Following a decisive battle at sea, Judah escapes and makes his way to Rome, where he is adopted by the Consul Quintus Arrius. But a life of privilege in the capital of the Empire fails to satisfy his deepest longings, so he returns to Judea, still driven by his hatred for Messala.
In the second moment, he has another face-to-face meeting with Christ and immediately recognizes Him. The look in Judah’s eyes when he stares into the Savior’s face in these two scenes is worth the price of admission. To describe the circumstances of the second meeting would reveal too much of the plot but, needless to say, the latter encounter is the transformative one, the one that saves his soul. At this point two healings occur simultaneously: one is a miracle of physical healing; it symbolizes the spiritual restoration that is taking place off camera in Judah’s life.
The reason why Catholics need to see Ben-Hur has nothing to do with the plot, the high drama or the famous action scenes. Catholics, and all movie-going Christians for that matter, will be inspired by this powerful depiction of how hatred can destroy life and how love, grace and forgiveness can restore it. These are Catholic themes, ones that we would all do well to meditate upon.
Ben-Hur does not soft-pedal Jesus’s teachings. Instead, it clearly and boldly proclaims them, most effectively through the words of Esther, who functions as an evangelist when she urges Judah to heed the words of the one she calls the Rabbi (Jesus), particularly his radical teachings dealing with forgiveness and how one should not only forgive one’s enemies but also love them. Judah Ben-Hur’s life demonstrates the transformation that will occur when an individual has a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. We need to see this dramatized more often in the movies of today.
Ben-Hur had a limited run in theaters this year during Lent, so many may have missed it. However, those who would like to experience it for the first time or see it again can still do so because this classic film is readily available for home viewing on Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital copy. An afternoon or evening spent watching Ben-Hur during any season of the year would be time well spent.

(Melvin Arrington is a Professor Emeritus of Modern Languages for the University of Mississippi and a member of Oxford St. John Parish.)

Learning to trust in Providence

Posted on by
Reply
Sister Constance Veit

GUEST COLUMN
By Sister Constance Veit, l.s.p.
For the past year, we Little Sisters of the Poor have been celebrating the 150th anniversary of our Congregation’s arrival in the United States.
Our sesquicentennial year will officially close on August 30, the feast day of our foundress, Saint Jeanne Jugan. This anniversary has been a wonderful opportunity to rediscover the experiences of our pioneering Little Sisters and to become acquainted with the many people who helped them.
As I read through the annals of our first communities, I recognized a pattern. Beginning in August of 1868, small bands of mostly young, non-English speaking Little Sisters bravely set sail from France destined for one American city after another – first Brooklyn, then Cincinnati, New Orleans, Baltimore and Philadelphia. The wave of charity, which had begun in the humble heart of our foundress, quickly spread across this vast nation.
These Little Sisters would arrive at their destination with only the most basic provisions, taking possession of empty, often dirty or rundown buildings that had been procured for them. They would begin by placing statues of the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph that they had preciously carried from the motherhouse on a mantle and then kneeling in prayer to ask God’s blessings on their new dwelling and those who would make it their home.
Thanks to hard work and the generosity of local citizens, these empty buildings would soon be cleaned and furnished with everything needed to care for the destitute elderly who would arrive at their doorstep.
In each city the Little Sisters were assisted by local clergy and communities of women and men religious.
The very first donation the Sisters received in this country was a twenty dollar bill from Father Isaac Hecker, founder of the newly-established Paulist Fathers.
The Sisters were also generously supported by the laity – people of all ages and every social status, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. Local school children brought their meager offerings – a few dishes or a loaf of bread.
In Cleveland, a German family put themselves completely at the service of the Little Sisters as a way of paying back a debt owed to God. Boston’s wealthiest woman brought the elderly rosaries, fresh oranges and good wine. Louisville’s best hotel donated a restaurant-quality Christmas dinner. In Philadelphia, three wealthy young girls sold their Christmas gifts and donated the proceeds to the Sisters. One of them would eventually become a canonized saint.
In the first months of the foundation in Pittsburgh two young Little Sisters died of typhoid fever in a matter of days. The remaining Sisters were devastated, but the bishop and local religious communities drew close to the newcomers and supported them through their ordeal.
The Little Sisters wrote that God had made use of this tragedy to make their work better known in the city. In fact, our pioneering Little Sisters saw in all the events of their daily lives – and in all the people they encountered – the Providence of God.
If I had to sum up our Congregation’s history in America in one word it would be just that – Providence.
During the very years when our first American foundations were being made, the Fathers of the first Vatican Council wrote, “God in his Providence watches over and governs all the things that he made, reaching from end to end with might and disposing all things with gentleness.” God not only knows what is going on in the world, he directs it all, down to the smallest and most insignificant details, holding everything in existence and guiding it all according to his mysterious plan!
The Fathers of the first Vatican Council taught that God governs the world with gentleness. He is not loud or flashy; he does not get in our face or demand our attention – and this is a problem in our media-saturated, sensory-overloaded culture.
How easy it is to miss the signs of God’s Providence in our lives, to be deceived by his gentleness and to fail to realize that underlying this gentleness is omnipotence. God really is in charge! And he governs all things according to his plan of love!
Our pioneering Little Sisters knew this in the depths of their hearts. In their simple faith they were able to see the traces of God’s Providence in both joys and sorrows, in good times and bad.
This is the most important lesson I have learned during our sesquicentennial year. No matter how dark or fraught with troubles our world may seem, we are all the children of God’s gentle, loving Providence. Let us trust in him!

(Sister Constance Veit is director of communications for the Little Sisters of the Poor.)

Deacon John McGregor hired as Director of Operations

Posted on by
Reply
Deacon John McGregor

Deacon John McGregor, having forty years of experience in management and organizational systems, has been named the Director of Operations for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. 
In the newly created role, Deacon McGregor will be responsible for overseeing and organizing daily operations of the diocese. He will oversee and coordinate the priorities, systems, services and inter-departmental relations of the department directors and other administrative staff consistent with the bishop’s priorities and vision.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz is delighted that Deacon McGregor is joining the diocesan chancery staff. “[He] will guide us to close the gaps that hamper our capacity to serve diocesan ministries more effectively as faithful stewards of diocesan resources, while building upon the strengths that are already at work,” said Bishop Kopacz. “Truly, he is engaging in a ministry of service that is the heart of the diaconate in order to strengthen the Lord’s body in the Diocese of Jackson.”
Deacon McGregor was ordained to the Permanent Diaconate for the Diocese of Jackson in June 2016. He currently serves as a deacon in Pearl, Mississippi, where he and his wife, Kelly, minister together to the people of St. Jude. He is also the Director of the Permanent Diaconate for the diocese.
Passion to look for new and creative ways to help adult Catholics share and deepen their faith, motivated Deacon McGregor to study theology at the graduate level, earning a master’s degree in biblical studies, a certificate of spiritual direction (Ignatian), as well as, a doctor of ministry degree, with an emphasis in spiritual formation in the local community.
He will begin his duties as Director of Operations, initially by focusing on three questions: Where are we now? Where do we wish we were? How are we going to close the gap?
In his new position, Deacon McGregor is “looking forward to being a member of the diocesan team, forging new ways to serve the parishes and their missions as they work to carry out the mission of the diocese, which is ‘to proclaim Jesus as Savior by living the Gospel, so that all may experience the crucified and risen Lord.’”
John McGregor is married to his high school sweetheart, Kelly Myers. They have three grown children and six grandchildren.

In memoriam

Posted on by
Reply
Joseph Patrick Murphy, Jr

MADISON – Joseph Patrick Murphy, Jr., 97, of Madison died at St. Catherine’s Village on July 1, 2019.
Murphy was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi, on November 20, 1921, to Joseph and Louise (Stubblefield) Murphy, Sr. He graduated from St. Clara’s Academy in Yazoo City, Mississippi and attended Millsaps College. He worked as a ticket agent for the Illinois Central Railroad in Jackson, Mississippi and retired after many years of dedicated service. Following his retirement, he volunteered for Catholic Charities of Jackson and eventually became employed due to his loyalty and hard work. He later worked for the Diocese of Jackson where he assisted with editing the Mississippi Catholic newspaper and served as a receptionist. He loved his many years working in the chancery where he created many wonderful, lifetime friendships.
Murphy was a longtime, active parishioner of St. Peter Cathedral in Jackson where he was a member of the Knights of Columbus and also served on the Pastoral Council. He was beloved by all who knew him. His gentle mannerisms and dry sense of humor were a delight.
Murphy knew everyone and had a unique insight on everything. He was a founding member of the JMJ supper club.
Murphy is survived by his sister, Louise Murphy Andy; his brother, John Marlin Murphy; his nieces and nephews: Maria Andy Scarbrough (Richard), Orlando Andy, Jr. (Hope), Patrick Andy, Jack Andy (Crystal), Paul Andy (Krista), Cathy Murphy Davis (Glenn), Maureen Murphy, Patricia Murphy Bennett (Larry) and Marlin John Murphy; and many great nieces, great nephews and friends. He was predeceased by his parents and his sister Mary Eliza Murphy Lanning.

Sister Judith Norwick

MANITOWOC, WISCONSIN – Sister Judith Norwick, age 79, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, died Tuesday, June 25 at Holy Family Convent.
The former Judith Ann Norwick was born April 26, 1940 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, daughter of the late John and Dorothy (Schneider) Norwick. She entered the convent in 1956 and professed her vows in 1959. Sister Judith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Holy Family College, Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Sister Judith ministered as an elementary teacher at St. Joseph, Oneida; St. Joseph, Sturgeon Bay; and St. John, Antigo, all in Wisconsin and at St. Francis de Sales, Manistique, Michigan. Sister Judith was also involved in parish ministry at Sacred Heart, Point Pleasant, West Virginia and St. Louis Catholic Church, Gallipolis, Ohio. She was the Mission Effectiveness Coordinator at St. Paul Home, Kaukauna, Wisconsin and was a staff member at St. Joseph Retirement Community, West Point, Nebraska. Sister Judith spent time at St. Francis of Assisi, Greenwood, Mississippi, helping in the school and parish. She also ministered to the Sisters at Holy Family Convent, particularly to the Sisters in St. Rita Health Center, assisting with various tasks.
Survivors include the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity and her siblings: J. Thomas Norwick, Mary Jean (James) Nussbaum, Karen (Steven) Blatz, Stephen (Marge) Norwick, and Patrice (Michael) Pajerski. Nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends also survive. She was preceded in death by her parents: John and Dorothy (Schneider) Norwick and one brother: David.

As a nation we must honor the humanity and basic needs of migrants

Posted on by
Reply

By Cardinal Daniel N. Dinardo, Archbishop José H. Gomez and Bishop Joe S. Vásquez
We mourn the deaths of 23-month-old Angie Valeria and her father, Oscar Martinez, who died last month while fleeing El Salvador in search of safety in the United States. This young family embarked on a journey of over 1,400 miles, through some of the most dangerous parts of the world, which ended with a father paying the ultimate price — his life — to keep his daughter from harm’s way. Angie was still scared after she was left safely on the river bank and she jumped back in the water to be with her dad, her security.
Unfortunately, the deaths of Angie and her father are not the first we have seen during this ongoing humanitarian crisis. In December, we saw the face of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old from Guatemala who died from sepsis while in custody of the Border Patrol. These are just two of the deaths that we know about. Countless others, all precious children of God, do not make it to the border, finding their final resting place somewhere along a journey that began with hope but quickly turned into despair.

A mourner holds an immigrants’ rights sign before a June 30, 2019, vigil honoring the lives of Salvadoran migrant Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his 23 month-old daughter, Valeria. They drowned June 24 in the Rio Grande while trying to reach the United States.
(CNS photo/Loren Elliott, Reuters)


These deaths are occurring because the United States is closing off access to asylum protection through policies and enforcement that send the clear and strong signal that you are not welcome.
As a nation, we must learn the harsh lessons from our past about closing doors to U.S. asylum. One of the more unfortunate chapters of our great nation’s history was our experience during World War II, when we turned away the S.S. St. Louis, a ship carrying nearly 1,000 Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Nazi Germany. In the aftermath of that experience and that war, the United States helped lead the world in establishing international protocols to ensure that refugees fleeing persecution in their country of nationality or habitual residence would receive protection when they present themselves at another country’s borders.
The United States went on to enshrine those protocols into U.S. refugee and asylum law, creating a body of laws that has been embraced over the ensuing decades on a bipartisan basis by presidents and Congress alike.
Sadly, the current administration recently announced that over the next week, it will conduct a series of broad enforcement actions to round up thousands of Angie’s and her father’s countrymen, as well as other Central American families, who managed to make it to safety inside the United States.
The announced goal is to detain and then deport them, consigning them to a frightening and uncertain fate in the country from which they fled. The president has suggested that his administration will refrain from engaging in this unfortunate enforcement action only if Congress repeals the asylum protections that it helped lead the world to establish.
We all know the dangers associated with migrating from the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The situation is so dire in these countries due to gang violence, corrupt governments and poverty that people are willing to risk their lives to walk through Central America and Mexico in the hope for asylum in the United States. The death of young Jakelin put a face on the crisis for a while, but unfortunately, for many it has faded and been forgotten. This new image of Angie and Mr. Martinez has been seared into our minds much like the photo of Alan Kurdi, the 2-year-old Syrian boy who died in 2015. The image of his lifeless body on the beach highlighted the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.
For the second straight summer, asylum seekers, most of them children and families, are caught in the middle of a stalemated political battle as they endure the brunt of life-altering scenarios and poor conditions. Last year, as part of the zero-tolerance policy implemented to slow the migration of people to our country and deny them the right to seek the protection of asylum, we saw heartbreaking scenes of children being ripped away from their parents.
This year, many are forced to remain in Mexico as they risk dangers on the border to await their uncertain future. Those who are able to cross the border are put in facilities with reported conditions that are substandard for a facility run by the United States Government.
Congress has, for years, been unable to find the solution so that we can be a nation that welcomes and embraces the immigrant. It is imperative that the administration and Congress come up with a solution to these tragic realities and pass a comprehensive immigration reform plan that will include offer immediate humanitarian relief.
We recognize the right of nations to control their borders and provide safety for citizens. We also believe that, in the best of our nation’s traditions, it is within our capability as a nation to honor the humanity and basic needs of migrants in a way that does not compromise our nation’s security.
One of God’s greatest commandments is to “love thy neighbor as thyself.” Following this commandment, we must remain a country that provides refuge for children and families fleeing violence and persecution or we have lost our core values as a nation. Perhaps the memory of our turning away of asylum seekers on the S.S. St. Louis and the image of Angie and Oscar’s lifeless bodies, face down on the river bank, will motivate Congress and the administration to work together to reach a rapid and just solution to this crisis that does not involve eviscerating U.S. refugee and asylum law.

(Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo is the archbishop of Galveston-Houston and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archbishop José H. Gomez is the archbishop of Los Angeles and vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Joe S. Vásquez is the bishop of Austin and the chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. )

Parish calendar of events

Posted on by
Reply

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

BROOKSVILLE The Dwelling Place, “Come to the Quiet” directed retreat, July 23-28, beginning with 6 p.m. dinner. Come, get away, be still and sort out your life under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. It is a time of quiet and prayerful reflection primarily using scripture. You may choose 2, 3 or more days. Cost: $90 per day. Director: Clare Van Lent, MA CSp, Director of the Dwelling Place. Details: (662) 738-5348 or email dwellpl@gmail.com.
CHATAWA St. Mary of the Pines Retreat Center, Theology of the Body, a Retreat Focusing on Women, Thursday, September 26, supper until Sunday, September 29, lunch. It was written by St. Pope John Paul II and is an in-depth study of the human person. Focuses on the meaning of being women, ways of relating to men. Presenters: Becky Clements and Paula Hunter are from Southwest Louisiana. They are both experienced, certified retreat directors and leaders of groups in their Catholic Church communities. Suggested donation: $250 (private room) or $200 (shared room) Details: Sister Sue Von Bank (601) 783-0801 or retreatcenter@ssndcp.org.
CULLMAN, Ala., Benedictine Sisters Retreat Center, Five-Day Directed Retreat, August 12-16. Offers an opportunity for on-going faith development under the personal guidance of an experienced director. Enjoy silence, scheduled consultations with a spiritual director and time for personal reflection and prayer. Retreat Directors: Sister Mary McGehee, OSB and Sister Treva Heinberg, O.S.B. Cost: $470. Details: (256) 734-8302, retreats@shmon.org or www.shmon.org.
PEARL St. Jude, Life in the Spirit and Healing Prayer Seminar, Saturday, August 17, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the parish hall. Do you desire a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit in your life? Are you interested in an opportunity to receive new gifts of the Holy Spirit and a greater outpouring of God’s healing and love? Come for a day of preaching, prayer, and praise sponsored by the Marian Servants of Jesus the Lamb of God. Guest speakers include; Father Bill Henry, Pastor of Greenville St. Joseph; Retreat Master and Spiritual Director, Celeste Zepponi; painter/singer/songwriter, retreat presenter and Spiritual Director, Mark Davis, formerly Ordained Assemblies of God pastor currently serving on St. Dominic’s Hospital Pastoral Care Team and Ethics Committee and is an active member of Clinton Holy Savior. Free admission, $10 suggested donation for lunch. Details: Contact Maureen Roberts (601) 278-0423 or mmjroberts@gmail.com.

PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS

AMORY St. Helen, Scripture Sharing meets Sundays at 10 a.m. at the parish hall. All are invited to this reflection on the Sunday Liturgy readings. Details: church office (662) 256-8392.
JACKSON St. Richard, An Evening with Our Stars, Saturday, August 24, 5-9 p.m. in Foley Hall. This is a fundraiser to benefit the Special Kids Ministry. Cost: $50 per ticket. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
St. Richard, Knights of Columbus 2nd Annual Team Bass Challenge, Saturday, September 28 at Lake Lincoln State Park, 2573 Sunset Road North East, Wesson. Door prizes to be given out at the weigh-in. Cost: $200 per 2-man team and $50/Boat Lunker Pot. Details: Tommy Lamas at the church office (601) 366-2335 or email lamas@saintrichard.com.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Parish Blood Drive, Wednesday, July 31 from 1-6 p.m. at the Family Life Center at 613 Main Street. Details: Go to www.vitalant.org to make an appointment online or call Regina at the church office (601) 445-5616.
PEARL St. Jude, in conjunction with several other local churches, is providing a Level I Training Course for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Location: St. James Episcopal Church, 3921 Oak Ridge Drive, Jackson, consists of 10 Saturdays and 2 Friday evenings. Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays: 5:30 – 8:30 pm. Begins August 23 and 24. Cost: $600 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $100 to secure your place is encouraged by August 1. Beginning August 23 & 24, meeting monthly. Formation Leader: Mary Nell, Director of Children and Family Ministry at St. James Episcopal Church and has led courses throughout the south. At the completion of the course, participants should have an understanding of the history, philosophy, and theology of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, the developmental characteristics and religious nature and capacities of the 3-6 year old child, the role of the adult in Catechesis, and the ability to plan and prepare an environment with materials to serve the children and assist in the development of their relationship with God. Details: For more information, please contact Course Coordinator Stacy Wolf, DRE, St. Jude Church at ccd@stjudepearl.org or (601) 966-9601.

YOUTH BRIEFS

JACKSON St. Richard, Fun in the Son 2019 for rising 8-10th graders, Tuesday, July 16, Bowling with Father John at Fannin Lanes, 12 noon – 2 p.m. Cost: $10 for two games of bowling and shoes. Sunday, July 28, Progressive Dinner at 6-8:30 p.m. Leave from St. Richard’s youth center and travel to four houses enjoying a different course of food at each stop. Wednesday, July 31, Star Wars Movie Marathon and Game Room Fun Day, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Cost: $5 for lunch and snacks (rescheduled from July 3). Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
PEARL St. Jude, Canoeing/Kayaking the Okatoma, Sunday, July 28. More information on price and time of departure to come. Chaperones and drivers are needed. Details: contact Mrs. Betsy or Mrs. Mara at the church office (601) 939-3181.

Priests retirement

Posted on by
Reply

By Mary Margaret Halford
VICKSBURG – Three pastors in the Diocese of Jackson announced their retirements this year. Mississippi Catholic honors each of these men for their commitment to the people of God and their Church, which they have been dedicated.

Father Tom Lalor


Father Tom Lalor
Father Tom Lalor, who grew up in a large Catholic family, credits his devote parents and his two uncles and older brother, who are now priests, for playing an important role in his priestly vocation.
“I just thought they were great,” said Father Lalor about his religious family back in Kilbeggan, Ireland, who were role models and taught him about the faith. “I knew I wanted to be like them.”
Feeling called to the religious life, Father Lalor entered the seminary, and while studying and in formation at Carlow College in Ireland, he was approached by the college president, who asked if he would be interested in leaving the country after his ordination.
“Mississippi was considered to be mission territory. There were not enough priests here at the time,” Father Lalor said. “So, I changed my course; he really encouraged me and wanted me here. If I had to do it again, I would.”
After being ordained in 1966, Father Lalor packed his bags for Mississippi leaving his family behind and anxious to begin his priesthood and ministry. His first assignment – Nativity Church in Biloxi, where he met yet another great teacher, Mercy Sister Paulinus Oakes, who inspired him to be open to any opportunities that might come along as he traveled his new priestly path.
“She told me that if I got a chance to teach, I should go ahead and do it,” Father Lalor said.
From there, Father Lalor began teaching in the classrooms, as well as from the pulpit. In Biloxi, he began teaching at Sacred Heart School as part of his ministry. “The hardest part was on the weekend when I’d say Masses and preach, then correct papers and prepare classes,” he said. “The amount of work involved in teaching is huge.”
After serving in Biloxi, Father Lalor found himself in Jackson where he served St. Mary’s parish and school, and then from there, St. Joseph Greenville, St. Mary and Cathedral school in Natchez, Cleveland, Tupelo, and finally, St. Paul’s in Vicksburg.
“The Catholic schools are very important to me,” he said, noting that he was a classroom teacher in all the diocese’s Catholic schools, except for Saint Aloysius High School in Vicksburg. “But I showed up there just about every day,” he said with a laugh.
When asked about his best memories as a priest, he focuses more on the lessons he learned than the ones he taught.
“So many people have inspired me,” he said. “I’ve seen people work through marriages, raise their families, and do the best they can. It makes me realize how fortunate I am.”
Since retiring in January, Father Lalor has lived at St. Catherine’s Village in Madison, where he helps fill in for priests across the area. “I’m here to serve God’s people,” said Father Lalor, a priest for more than 50 years. “And when people ask how I’m doing, I say ‘I’ve got it made in the shade.’”

Father David O’Connor


Father David O’Connor
Since his ordination 55 years ago, Father David O’Connor can’t remember a single day when he’s woken up and wished he didn’t have to do any of his priestly duties.
“I’ve been extremely happy on the job,” he said. “It’s been an incredible trip.”
A native of Limerick, Ireland, Father O’Connor was one of many Irish priests who came to Mississippi in the 1960s, a time when the state was the epicenter of civil rights activity. Father O’Connor’s first assignment was at Meridian St. Patrick, just south of Neshoba County, where three civil rights workers were murdered.
“I was there for the arrest of the people involved with that,” Father O’Connor said. “It was a very new experience for me.”
Father O’Connor also spent time back in Ireland, recruiting for seminarians to come to Mississippi before moving to Oxford and serving as the pastor at St. John’s and the campus minister for Ole Miss. It was during that time that he did graduate work in community counseling.
With that experience under his belt, Father O’Connor moved to Jackson, where he worked to train committees and councils and served as a resource for liturgical questions.
“If you ask anyone in the Diocese to pinpoint what my central focus has been, it would be developing lay leadership,” he said, adding that he has done pastoral planning for more than 300 parishes across the South. “That has been a blessing for me.”
Father O’Connor also found himself as a pastor in Greenwood, a director of development for St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison and the pastor of St. Mary’s in Natchez.
“I always end up becoming part of the people, and that’s where the fun is,” he said. “I’d like to think the people who came to know me would say ‘he was there for his people and showed up when there was a crisis, and when there were birthday parties.’ I think I’ve become a part of every parish I’ve served.”
Father O’Connor was recognized for just that recently when he was given the 2019 Seton Award for his service to Natchez Cathedral School.
“People are offering congratulations, but that’s not what I feel like,” Father O’Connor said of his retirement. “I feel like I’m walking away from extended family.”
But his retirement should be a fulfilling one, as Father O’Connor plans to lead a few groups to England and Scotland this summer and potentially continue his work training leadership and working with faith formation.
“I feel there are fun and exciting things out there ahead to come,” Father O’Connor said. “And so far it’s been a great, great experience.”

Monsignor Elvin Sunds


Monsignor Elvin Sunds
When Msgr. Elvin Sunds was a senior in high school back home in Nebraska, he had not spent too much time thinking about what his future would look like, but he knew it was something different than most of his classmates.
“I thought there was something else the Lord was calling me to,” he said. “I felt like it was the priesthood.”
So, Msgr. Sunds studied at Immaculate Conception in Missouri for two years of college, then made his way to Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans before he was ordained for the Diocese of Jackson in 1973.
After his first assignment as associate pastor at Sacred Heart in North Biloxi, Msgr. Sunds landed at Catholic Charities, where he served for 19 years.
“The years as an associate are fun years, right after you’re ordained, those are important,” he said. “And my time at Catholic Charities was a challenge, but an exciting time to create new programs and serve needs in Mississippi that had not been met before.”
At Catholic Charities, Msgr. Sunds was instrumental in expanding the counseling program and building up therapeutic foster care, the women’s shelter, crisis center, and other programs. On weekends, he also served at Jackson Holy Family and Flowood St. Paul. After that, he went to Meridian, where he served at St. Patrick and St. Joseph for 11 years before being tapped as the vicar general for the Diocese of Jackson. Since 2005, he’s been the pastor of Jackson St. Therese.
“I have so many special memories, every place I’ve served has been unique and a blessing and each has been a little different,” Msgr. Sunds said. “I’ve lived in wonderful communities, bringing together different cultures, African-American, Caucasian, and Hispanic parishes who really see themselves as one Catholic community with wonderful diversity.”
And though Msgr. Sunds might not have been able to predict where his path would lead at 18 years old, he’s loved every part of the journey.
“It’s been an exciting adventure to be a Catholic priest in Mississippi,” he said. “The Diocese of Jackson is a unique diocese with a lot of gifts and challenges and I’ve very much enjoyed being here.”
To celebrate his retirement after 46 years of priesthood, Msgr. Sunds is going on a different kind of adventure — exploring the United States from a travel trailer and pickup truck.
“I’m going to see how many national parks I can visit in the next two months,” he said. “We’ve got a beautiful country that I’m just waiting to see.”

Joanna King hired as Communications Director

Posted on by
Reply
Joanna King

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Joanna King joined the chancery staff as Director of Communications on Monday, June 24. She is a member of Flowood St. Paul Parish and a graduate of Natchez Cathedral School. King previously worked in law and as the Communications Director for the Good Samaritan Center. She has also been on the executive board for Leadership Greater Jackson for four years, serving as secretary for two of those years.
King said she was looking for a more active way to share her faith so she felt called to apply for the position at the diocese. “I have been working on being more mindful of the Holy Spirit in my everyday life. If you listen, you will hear and feel the guidance of the Holy Spirit every day. One evening I sat down to read my Mississippi Catholic paper. Before opening it, I silently asked, ‘God, is there something you need me to hear?’ I randomly opened the paper and the first thing my eyes laid on was the position opening for the Director of Communications. So, you can say that the Holy Spirit definitely called me to apply and I listened,” she said. She participated in the Christ Life program and will begin working with the Alpha program at her parish this fall.
“I feel blessed that the position will afford me the opportunity to share and celebrate my Catholic faith, in addition to continuing my love of service,” King explained. “For the last 12 and-a-half years I have worked at a social service agency that allowed me to do Jesus’ work to help clothe and feed the hungry. I feel so blessed to have served in that capacity. It truly has helped my understanding of the Church’s love for all people,” she added.
She graduated from Mississippi State University and went on to law school at Mississippi College. She brings a variety of experience to her new role. As Director of Communications, she will be the editor for Mississippi Catholic newspaper, maintain the diocesan website and act as the spokesperson for the Diocese of Jackson.
“I look forward to building relationships with new people and strengthening relationships with those I do know. I also look forward to continuing my life-long love of learning. I love that this position affords me the opportunity to learn and grow in my Catholic faith,” said King.
The Department of Communications worked with a search committee to seek a new director. “Joanna’s enthusiasm and love for the church were obvious from the moment we met. This is such an important position in our diocese, and Joanna is genuine in her excitement and willingness to get the job done,” said committee member Mary Margaret Halford, a member of Vicksburg St. Paul Parish.
Corinne Anderson from Jackson Holy Family was also on the committee. “During the interview, I was particularly interested in Joanna’s ability to manage and work with staff and respond to various constituencies. Her past work record document skills that are requisite for the job of editor. I was sold by her candidness and apparent cognizance of the fact that she will need to work with key diocesan personnel to enhance her current skills and ensure that diocesan policies and basic Catholic doctrine guide her work as editor and manager,” she said.
King replaces Maureen Smith, who has been with the diocese for seven years and has been director for four of those. Smith is moving back to her hometown of Atlanta, Ga., to be closer to family.
King lives in Brandon with her husband and son.