Author Archives: Tereza Ma

V Encuentro. Life experience for missionary disciples

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JACKSON – The delegation representing the Diocese of Jackson at the V Encuentro’s national culmination returned home from Grapevine, Texas, with a new mission – to take all they learned and experienced and turn it into a plan of action for ministry at home.
Delegates from all over the country, selected after parish, diocesan and regional meetings, participated in the V Encuentro in September. Mississippi Catholic asked each delegate, as well as Father Michael McAndrew, CsSR, who attended with his order, to send us some thoughts on their experience.
Isamar Mazy – Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle:
“My experience was very nice seeing the church, in these difficult times, joining in prayer and the humility of bishops asking us to pray for them. I was impressed by the multitude of people, around 3,200 individuals from all over the United States.
On behalf of the CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council) Monsignor Constantino Barrera Morales and the Bishop of Sonsonate of El Salvador brought young people from Costa Rica and Brazil to listen our experiences. We had the pleasant presence of the Apostolic Nuncio commissioned by Pope Francis and his encouraging message was of great joy to us when he told we “are a people on march.”
Susana Becerril,
“Everything has helped me to learn urgent things that, maybe, I didn’t think necessary. I liked there was a talk for integration of the American with the Latin / Hispanic community. They pointed out that we are not guests of the church, we are the church, we have a voice, we have a right, but most of all we have the obligation to do something for those who need it most.”
Danna Johnson, Pontotoc St. Christopher Parish:
“Bishop Daniel Flores of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, told us in his presentation that to accompany “there must be a desire to do so.
“Accompanying is presence, time, patience, listening, closed and contemplative gaze, it is our ‘Move and stop before the other person’ in the style of Jesus. This requires us to ‘uninstall our comfortable condition of viewers’ he told us. I return to my ordinary life with those words in my memory and heart.
“The faith of the poor is what saves us” Bishop Flores said.
How do those words speak to me in my life? The V Encuentro was an opening opportunity to see with new eyes the same needs – particularly those of the Hispanic people in the Catholic Church in the United States and here in Mississippi. There was much talk about the lack of spiritual attention (especially among young people), the obstacles to integration and the lack of comprehensive formation at all levels of church leadership.”
Sister María Elena Mendez, coordinator for Hispanic Ministry:
“The V Encuentro was like a new Pentecost for the Catholic Church of the United States. Participating in the process of the V Encuentro was a moment of grace, a caress, an emotional embrace and a light that is lit in the darkness in the middle of this difficult moment for the Church.

Delegates dance on stage Sept. 23 during the Fifth National Encuentro in Grapevine, Texas. (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

“In general, the bishops motivated us to be protagonists, to form ourselves, to pass from spectators to take leadership, to go in search of those who have left the Church for any reason and to be missionaries, witnesses of the love of God.
“The one that stood out very strongly was the youth pastoral and the necessity of the roles of leadership of the women saying, ‘listen to us, join us, form us and invest economically in us, we are ready to take positions of responsibility in the parochial and diocesan structure… trust us.’
“At the end of, I felt motivated and confirmed by what Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, said about the Virgin of Guadalupe: ‘Our Lady of Guadalupe is working in the Church of the United States through faith and the actions of numerous followers. She is very relevant now, there is a miracle of Guadalupe today in this country.”
Father Michael McAndrew, Redemptorist serving in the Delta:
“While the liturgies were beautiful, great music and there was much to learn, the most important part was meeting people from all over the nation and listening to them share stories of trial, hope and faith. The young people at the V Encuentro energized the event and challenged church leadership to be creative in reaching out to the next generation of leaders. I wish that more people could experience such energy in the church. Since I have been involved in Hispanic ministry for almost thirty years, it was great to see so many people from the many parts of this country whom I have met over the years. It was good to see those long time friends, but it was also great to see the new generations of leaders with such energy.

Diocese marks Hispanic Heritage Month

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By Berta Mexidor
JACKSON – Hispanic Heritage month runs from mid-September through mid-October in the U.S. It began in 1968 when President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed a national week honoring Hispanic Heritage.
For many, Columbus Day marks when cultures from several continents blended to create what is now a multitude of Latino-Hispanic cultures. Spanish language is now dominant among thousands of dialects, Portuguese, English or French and Catholicism was adopted as the main religion among African and indigenous rites.
A notable percentage of the Hispanic population in the U.S. is devoted to maintaining and promoting the main religious heritage, Catholicism. Data from the Pew Research Institute released in 2016 showed a 129 percent growth in the population of Hispanics in Mississippi since 2000. With around 85 thousand people and with an average age of 26, in 2016 Hispanics made up three percent of the population of the state.
This month’s Mississippi Católico is dedicated to honoring the members of this community building up the church – celebrating a special connection to Virgin Mary and their parish patron saints, marking the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis as first Latin American Pope, showcasing their hard work, their bond with the family and their sense of service to the community. Many parishes celebrated during this month with a fiesta or special liturgy. Look inside the special edition for more photos from these events.
Berta Mexidor asked several leaders in the Hispanic community in the state to finish this sentence:

Father Xavier

Francis Fest some 400 participants

Hispanic Heritage for me is …
“Very rich and traditional culture – ‘Las mañanitas’ (the birthday song) to Our Lady of Guadalupe and phrases such as: ‘Vaya con Dios (go with God), ‘adios’ (to God), ‘como Dios quiere’ (as God wishes). The elderly always held a place of respect in the home, good sense of humor. They lived at a slower pace by the phrase ‘Hasta mañana’ (until tomorrow) and their faith is centered at home with novenas, respect for the dead, posadas and generosity with guests.” Msgr. Michael Flannery, retired pastor who still works to support the mission in Saltillo, Mexico
“It is the privilege to spread the traditions and culture that characterizes us as Hispanics in the country that gives us so many opportunities.” Karla Vélez, community leader. Mississippi Hispanic Association.
“It is a time when we celebrate the Hispanic people, how they are a part of our national legacy and heritage, how they have contributed to our country, and how their traditions and culture enrich our society.” Father Lincoln Dall, forner missionary in Latin America and current pastor of Pearl St. Jude Parish
“It is the extremely important celebration, which evokes the achievements and contributions of the Hispanic community in this country.” Julio del Castillo, community leader. Mississippi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
“Family.” Shane Aguirre, first Hispanic descendant on the Mississippi House of Representatives. District 17.
“They are the customs, beliefs and traditions of my country that I can pass to my daughters so they can feel proud to be Mexican.” Karla Vázquez, Lawyer. Elmore & Peterson Law Firm
“A great blessing. It shows the work and achievements of generations and culture contributions to this country beyond language, typical foods and traditions. I feel very proud to be Hispanic and be able to transmit my Latin roots to maintain a friendly dialogue.” Raquel Thompson, Mexican, Coordinator for Hispanic Ministry at Tupelo St. James Parish.
“A gift from God, to be born and to be Hispanic is a wonderful gift, for which I give thanks to the Creator and I am proud of my race and I surrender myself day by day, with faith, hope and love, so that all Hispanics are recognized as a gift for this Church in the U.S. Sister Maria Josefa Garcia Alvarez, MGSpS, coordinator of Hispanic Ministry diocese.
“It is to accept my roots from the country where I came from and see how I can apply and adapt them in the country where I live.” Father Roberto Mena, ST, Guatemalan, sacramental minister of Forest St. Michael and Carthage St. Anne Parishes.

Convocation focus: forming life-long intentional disciples

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By Maureen Smith
MERIDIAN – The Diocese of Jackson’s 2018 Convocation centered on forming lifelong intentional disciples. The keynote speaker, Sherry Weddell, has written a book and authored a companion program to help people activate their faith. She challenged the 120 priests, deacons and lay ministers to tell their stories, accompany their parishioners and transform their faith communities.
This year the gathering included the priests from the Diocese of Biloxi as well as the department directors from the chancery staff. Bishop Joseph Kopacz of Jackson and Bishop Louis Kihneman of Biloxi meet regularly to support one another and the two discussed how this conference would be a good opportunity for both dioceses to benefit from Weddell’s expertise. The addition of the Biloxi group led to a lively four-day gathering at the Northeast Conference Center which included daily morning prayer and evening Mass at St. Patrick Parish.
Weddell started her workshop with some harsh realities. In some parishes, up to 80 percent of people stop going to church once they are confirmed. Secular culture is full of so-called ‘nones,’ who profess no religious affiliation. Catholic schools where students are surrounded in Catholic culture, are no longer ubiquitous. The landscape, however, is not hopeless. Weddell shared stories of overwhelming success – parishes where a majority of the members are engaged, active, evangelizing disciples.
She believes that telling the story of Jesus and inviting people to tell their own story of their relationship with God can help people move through the stages of faith from what she calls a seeker to a disciple to an apostle. She outlined how most people progress through a series of thresholds of trust, curiosity, openness and seeking as they journey toward a life of intentional discipleship. The pastors gathered were invited to share their reactions, concerns and strategies as the week progressed.

MERIDIAN – Bishop Joseph Kopacz of Jackson and Bishop Louis Kihneman of Biloxi, center, listen intently to Sherry Weddell present a workshop on forming life-long intentional disciples during the Diocese of Jackson's convocation Oct. 8-11. Clergy and lay ministers from both dioceses attended the event. (Photos by Maureen Smith)

Weddell explained that many people undergo two conversions, one which puts them on a path to seek discipleship and a second which inspires them to use their talents to serve the church and evangelize others. She presented a series of case studies to support her work. She encouraged the priests to give their people opportunities to connect to Jesus through devotions such as adoration and intercessory prayer so they feel connected to God.
Organizing the event fell on the diocesan Continuing Formation Committee. The group seeks and plans opportunities for the clergy and lay ministers to participate in professional and spiritual development. Pam Minninger, lay ecclesial minister for Gluckstadt St. Joseph Parish is on the committee. She said they were inspired by the Pastoral Priorities when they decided to invite Weddell. “We wanted the convocation to be relevant to the diocesan goals and started brainstorming. Her name was one of the first to come up, being so relevant to the ‘forming lifelong, intentional disciples’ goal. We decided ‘why not try’ to get her even though she is so well known. I emailed, and the Holy Spirit took care of the rest,” she explained.
In addition to diocesan priests, some of the religious order priests who are active as pastors and administrators in the diocese attended. Missionary Servant of the Most Blessed Trinity priest, Father Roberto Mena, sacramental minister at Forest St. Michael Parish, said the presentation fits right in with his work. “It was a good response from the priests. I am trying to figure out what will be next for the whole diocese. I have an idea for my local parish, but I think the diocese is trying to be in the same place together with the vision – toward the goal of making every baptized person a disciple of Jesus,” he said. He also saw a connection between the message at the convocation and his religious community. “This is our own charism – to make every baptized person an apostle, although she is using a different approach. We want to make people aware that your baptism calls you to follow Jesus. You have a mission because of your baptism,” said Father Mena.
Father Alfred Ayem, SVD, of Jackson Holy Ghost Parish found the week “very motivational – challenging and personally, I think it’s something worth implementing to see how we can get people back.” He also supported the idea of speaking openly about Jesus and repeating the salvation story. “We don’t do that enough,” he said.

Purple Dress Run, same mission, new venue

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Purple was the color for the day for more than 200 runners in Northeast Jackson on Thursday, Oct. 18, as Catholic Charities hosted it’s annual Purple Dress Run to support its domestic violence programs. The run started this year at The District, a shopping and entertainment center just off Interstate 55, and wound its way through the Eastover neighborhood. Members of the Madison St. Joseph cross country team led off the race while the band played to inspire runners and walkers at their last turn near the end of the 5K.
Charities was set to open a new domestic violence shelter earlier this year when a fire heavily damaged the building. Rebuilding efforts are underway. Organizers hope to open early next year. Events such as the run help support the programs Charities offers to those who wish to escape a life of abuse and violence.

The St. Joseph School band inspires runners at the last turn of the race.

The St. Joseph School band inspires runners at the last turn of the race.

Christian Brother, director of Hispanic Ministry, marks 60 years

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By Berta Mexidor
JACKSON – Christian Brother Theodore “Ted” Dausch calls himself a ‘Yankee brother,’ coming from New York to Mississippi, where he had to adapt his city customs to fields and small towns in the deep South, but with his familiar self-depricating humor and committment to service, he has found joy in his ministry.
For Brother Ted, time has gone by quickly. This July, he celebrated 60 years of religious life

Brother Ted Daush, 1960 and now. (Photo Mississippi Catholic Archive)

He attended Catholic schools founded and run by Christian Brothers, where he, too, felt called to serve God in religious life. One teacher in particular impressed him with both his teaching style and sense of humor in the classroom. At 18, Brother Ted started teaching. Even his own family was surprised by his decision.
He went to college and after graduation taught at the same school where he studied, Rice School, named after the founder of the Christian Brothers’ congregation, Edmund Rice. Then he served as counselor and school director. Brother Ted says he enjoyed being a teacher.
The order asked him to come to Mississippi to establish a community of brothers in the Diocese of Jackson. Christian Brothers have, as a charism, the education of young people and social justice. Here, he began to teach English as a second language. Soon, the bishop asked him to step into Hispanic Ministry. His Spanish at that time was very basic and he did not feel ready to communicate with Spanish speakers, but he stepped up to the challenge. In his own words, his first task was to have an entire conversation in Spanish!
Little by little, and still learning, he found his mission and the best way to do his job. His daily prayer was “God, let me know what I’m doing and if not, send me some help.” Today he serves with a pair of Guadalupan Missionary Sisters to coordinate Hispanic ministry throughout the diocese. He has been in this position for 20 years.
Brother Ted believes the experience with the Hispanic community has been “… a blessing. I have seen and experienced a completely different view of the world.” At first, his own ignorance helped him, “…to treat everyone equally, without judging anyone.”
While he appreciates the differences between people from different countries, he also values all their various contributions to the church and the community at large.
With his characteristic laugh, he said his favorite aspects of life in the Hispanic community are delicious food, lots of parties and gatherings, and most of all “the beautiful sense of humor and a deep spirituality” the people have.
All Latinos are looking for an opportunity at a better life – many carry with them low self-esteem after suffering terrible experiences in their countries of origin. Here, they receive better opportunities, but also discrimination, skepticism and distrust. Some arrive and never take root. Others are assimilating, accepting changes and enhancing diversity. Many families now on their second and third generations in America, despite the difficulties, are always thanking the country that received them.
Brother Ted believes he has gained much more from his service than he has given and invites those who are not connected to this community to tap into their rich gifts. “Many, even though they are American citizens, feel they must accept incomprehension, but they do not need pity, something must be learned from their experience, they do not need to be saved. They saved my life” said Brother Ted.
“The Hispanic community has not only changed me, I feel blessed to have known them,” he concluded.

Life, dignity…an end to the death penalty

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Sister alies therese

FROM THE HERMITAGE
By Sister alies terese
We often narrowly attach life-giving terms like ‘pro-life’ only to abortion or euthanasia and we forget the field is much broader than that. Let’s not forget that there are many people trapped in the death-dealing of starvation, poverty, lack of face or voice, racism, abuse and even the thirst that drives one to daily drink dirty, infected water. In all this, we still face the horrors of the death penalty.
“Well, I filed my appeal to the Supreme Court. I received a copy of it last night. I haven’t read it yet. I know what it says. We only brought up three issues. I’ll let you know when I learn new information – or something happens…” (death row inmate and friend of mine).
Actually what he didn’t say was it was his last appeal and a negative report will mean an execution date. He and I have been friends since 1996. There have been others – three executed and another three moved into general population coming off “the Row” to life without parole (whether they consider themselves innocent or not).
My heart skips a beat or two each time I get a letter from one of my friends. I am sickened even more when I hear of an execution that has been horrific and botched: wrong drugs, blocked lines, or even voltage from the electric chair was not effective.
Over many years there have been folks opposing the death penalty. There are the protestors who arrive to pray in vigil for the inmate, for the victims (if there were any) for the Church and even for the guards and ‘doctors’ who are “only doing their job” of executing. There are those who have befriended inmates, writing letters and maybe providing money to their accounts for small items. Consider St. Therese and Pranzini! There are those lawyers, often pro bono, who can defend as most condemned inmates are indigent.
In 1980, the US Catholic Bishops voted to end the death penalty. And now, in the summer of 2018, we hear this from Pope Francis:“The death penalty is never admissible and the Catholic Church will work towards its abolition around the world.”
What is even more important is that this declaration changes the Catholic Catechism. Prior to this declaration we find in the CC2267 the following:
“…the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and more in conformity with the dignity of the human person. …the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ’are very rare’, if not practically non-existent.”
Now the Church teaches: “The death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
In his speech to the U.S. Congress in 2015, Pope Francis reminded those gathered: “human life must be defended at every stage of development. This conviction has led me from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition the death penalty. I am convinced every life is sacred!”
And yet, 53 percent of U.S. Catholics support the death penalty though Pew indicates that white, evangelical Protestants’ support is the highest. Not long after the declaration, the governor of Nebraska went ahead with an execution. He frequently boasts of how he faithfully follows Church teaching: “it was what the people wanted.” Really? The discourse in the marketplace has heightened on most every topic and the death penalty is right in the middle.
And finally, let’s consider Mississippi’s legislators who voted to make available a firing squad if the drugs used in the current method of lethal injection are not available. And even more recently along with Alabama and Oklahoma, we have been given the “go ahead” to execute prisoners with nitrogen gas. This is a “new, untested, and untried method of killing women and men — or as the OK State Rep. Mike Christian refers to them as ‘these beasts,’” wrote Mike Farrell, president of the advocacy group Death Penalty focus. He continues: “Mississippi stopped using the gas chamber partly because of 1983 execution of Jimmy Lee Gray who died ‘banging his head against a steel pole…while reporters counted his moans.’”
How shall we in Mississippi vote, protest, write, pray, engage others as we apply this teaching of the Church?
One need not be ‘soft on crime’ to oppose the death penalty. Remember to pray for those on the death rows of the USA and world.
BLESSINGS.

(Sister alies therese is a vowed Catholic solitary who lives an eremitical life. Her days are formed around prayer, art and writing. She is author of six books of spiritual fiction and is a weekly columnist. She lives and writes in Mississippi.)

The Tuskegee airman that got away

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Father Jerome LeDoux, SVD,

REFLECTIONS ON LIFE
By Father Jerome LeDoux, SVD
When I was told that Charles Clifford Chenier had died and that his funeral was assigned to me, I was calm until I heard that he was a Tuskegee Airman.
“Oh no!” I told myself. “How did I live so near Charles Clifford Chenier for two years without discovering that he was a Tuskegee Airman?” No one mentioned it in my hearing and, looking back, I saw no dots that I could connect to find out. I now regret that I did not ask proactively, “Is there a Tuskegee Airman living nearby?”
It was quite different at Our Mother of Mercy Church in Fort Worth, Texas, where Claude Platte was a faithful member and where there was periodical chatter about him and the Tuskegee Airmen. At Tuskegee in Alabama, he went through the paces of the “Tuskegee Experience” where he received the Flight Instructor rating. This rating cleared him to train cadets and to fly dignitaries around the country to exciting places such as Bethune College where legendary educator Mary McLeod Bethune was officiating a graduation at her school. As a primary flight instructor, Captain Platte trained more than 400 blacks to solo and fly PT13s, PT17s and PT19s.
A native of Opelousas, Louisiana, Charles Chenier came into the world courtesy of Theodore and Albertha Chenier on October 27, 1924. He left us for the wide blue yonder of heaven on September 23. Between those bookends, he did primary and high school at Holy Ghost Church in Opelousas until his interest turned toward a hot, new experiment for Negro pilots in Tuskegee, Alabama. So, several years after Claude Platte, he cast his lot with the pilots in Tuskegee.
Shame to tell, World War II was still a time when many people thought that black men lacked intelligence, skill, courage and patriotism. When political pressure challenged the government to expand the role of blacks in the military, the Army Air Corps was the first agency to accept the challenge.
Tuskegee Institute, a small black Alabama college, was chosen to host the “military experiment” to train black pilots and support staff. 
With a strong desire to serve the United States of America to the best of their ability, young blacks came from all over, especially New York City, Washington, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit. This was an amazing response from “second-rate citizens.”
Those who possessed the physical and mental qualifications were accepted as aviation cadets to be trained initially as single-engine pilots and later as either twin-engine pilots, navigators or bombardiers. Most were college graduates or undergraduates. Others demonstrated their qualifications through comprehensive entrance examinations. They became known as the Tuskegee 332nd Fighter Group, or, popularly, as the Red Tails, identified by the brilliant color of the fighter tails.
It is important to note that no standards were lowered for the pilots or any of the others who trained in operations, meteorology, intelligence, engineering, medicine or any of the other officer fields. Being black did not equate to getting a break or pass on standards.
Enlisted members were trained to be aircraft and engine mechanics, armament specialists, radio repairmen, parachute riggers, control tower operators, policemen, administrative clerks and all of the other skilled jobs necessary to fully function as an Army Air Corps flying squadron or ground support unit. They, too, had prime training.
During World War II, segregation was the order of the day, even in the U.S. Army, with no respect given to the Negroes who put their lives on the line for their country. Nevertheless, white bomber pilots did not want any but the Negro pilots of the Tuskegee 332nd Fighter Group to escort them on their missions whenever that bomber escort group was available. “Give us the Red Tails!” they always insisted.
Those white bomber pilots did not care what color the Tuskegee 332nd Fighter Group was. All they knew was that, uniquely, the bombers escorted by that group always returned home to fly another mission some other day.
Charles Clifford Chenier returned home after the Red Tails disbanded in 1946 and busied himself as a civil rights activist in the ongoing fight against racism. He was a physical education instructor and basketball coach at D.C. Wolfe High School. He worked with the State Health Department and the Tuskegee Job Corps and was a master welder who taught veterans. He loved his 49-year wife Margaret and their children: Deborah, Brenda, Lois, stepdaughter Sonja (of wife Sonja after Margaret’s death). Charles served Holy Ghost Church and the Knights of Peter Claver.

(Father Jerome LeDoux, SVD, has written “Reflections on Life since 1969.)

Beyond criticism, anger lies invitation to deeper empathy

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Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Recently I attended a symposium where the keynote speaker was a man exactly my age. Since we had both lived through the same cultural and religious changes in our lives, I resonated with much of what he said and with how he felt about things. And in his assessment of both the state of affairs in our politics and our churches today, he was pretty critical, even angry. Not without reason. In both our governments and our churches today there isn’t just a bitter polarization and an absence of fundamental charity and respect, there’s also a lot of seemingly inexcusable blindness, lack of transparency and self-serving dishonesty. Our speaker was plenty eager to point these out.
And for the most part, I agreed with him. I feel the same way that he does. The current state of affairs, whether you’re looking at politics or the churches, is depressing, bitterly polarized and cannot but leave you feeling frustrated and accusatory at those whom you deem responsible for the blindness, dishonesty and injustice that seem inexcusable. But, while I shared much of his truth and his feelings, I didn’t share where he landed. He landed in pessimism and anger, seemingly unable to find anything other than indignation within which to stand. He also ended very negative in terms of his attitude towards those whom he blames for the problem.
I can’t fault his truth and I can’t fault his feelings. They’re understandable. But I’m not at ease with where he landed. Bitterness and anger, no matter how justified, are not a good place to stay. Both Jesus and what’s noble inside of us invite us to move beyond anger and indignation.
Beyond anger, beyond indignation and beyond justified criticism of all that’s dishonest and unjust, lies an invitation to a deeper empathy. This invitation doesn’t ask us to be stop being prophetic in the face of what’s wrong but it asks us to be prophetic in a deeper way. A prophet, as Daniel Berrigan so often said, makes a vow of love not of alienation.
But that’s not easy to do. In the face of injustice, dishonesty and willful blindness, all of our natural instincts militate against empathy. Up to a point, this is healthy and shows that we’re still morally robust. We should feel anger and indignation in the face of what’s wrong. It’s understandable too that we might also feel some hateful, judgmental, thoughts towards those whom we deem responsible. But that’s a beginning (a healthy enough starting point) but it’s not where we’re meant to stay. We’re called to move towards something deeper, namely, an empathy which previously we did not access. Deep anger invites deep empathy.
At the truly bitter moments of our lives, when we’re feeling overwhelmed by feelings of misunderstanding, slight, injustice and rightful indignation and we’re staring across at those whom we deem responsible for the situation, anger and hatred will naturally arise within us. It’s okay to dwell with them for a time (because anger is an important mode of grieving) but, after a time we need to move on. The challenge then is to ask ourselves: How do I love now, given all this hatred? What does love call me to now in this bitter situation? Where can I now find a common thread that can keep me in family with those at whom I’m angry? How do I reach through, reach through the space that now leaves me separated by my own justified feelings of anger? And, perhaps most important of all: “From where can I now find the strength to not give into hatred and self-serving indignation?
How am I called to love now? How do I love in this new situation? That’s the challenge. We’ve never before been called upon to love in a situation like this. Our understanding, empathy, forgiveness and love have never before been tested in this way. But that’s the ultimate moral challenge, the “test” that Jesus himself faced in Gethsemane. How do you love when everything around you invites you to the opposite?
Almost all of our natural instincts militate against this kind of empathy, as does most everything around us. In the face of injustice our natural instincts spontaneously begin, one by one, to shut the doors of trust and make us judgmental. They also invite us to feel indignation and hatred. Now those feelings do produce a certain catharsis in us. It feels good. But that kind of cathartic feeling is a drug that doesn’t do much for us long range. We need something beyond feelings of bitterness and hatred for our long range health. Empathy is that something.
While not denying what’s wrong, nor denying the need to be prophetic in the face of all that’s wrong, empathy still calls us to a post-anger, a post-indignation and a post-hatred. Jesus modeled that for us and today it’s singularly the most needed thing in our society, our churches and our families.

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

At Romero Mass: Saints risk all for love of Jesus

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By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Carrying Pope Paul VI’s pastoral staff and wearing the blood-stained belt of Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, Pope Francis formally recognized them, and five others, as saints of the Catholic Church.
Thousands of pilgrims from the new saints’ home countries – Italy, El Salvador, Spain and Germany – were joined by tens of thousands of others Oct. 14 in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate the universal recognition of the holiness of men and women they already knew were saints.
Carolina Escamilla, who traveled from San Salvador for canonization, said she was “super happy” to be in Rome. “I don’t think there are words to describe all that we feel after such a long-awaited and long-desired moment like the ‘official’ canonization, because Archbishop Romero was already a saint when he was alive.”
Each of the new saints lived lives marked by pain and criticism – including from within the church – but all of them dedicated themselves with passionate love to following Jesus and caring for the weak and the poor, Pope Francis said in his homily.
The new saints are: Paul VI, who led the last sessions of the Second Vatican Council and its initial implementation; Romero, who defended the poor, called for justice and was assassinated in 1980; Vincenzo Romano, an Italian priest who died in 1831; Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa, a Spanish nun who ministered in Mexico and Bolivia and died in 1943; Catherine Kasper, the 19th-century German founder of a religious order; Francesco Spinelli, a 19th-century priest and founder of a religious order; and Nunzio Sulprizio, a layman who died in Naples in 1836 at the age of 19.
“All these saints, in different contexts,” put the Gospel “into practice in their lives, without lukewarmness, without calculation, with the passion to risk everything and to leave it all behind,” Pope Francis said in his homily.
The pope, who has spoken often about being personally inspired by both St. Paul VI and St. Oscar Romero, prayed that every Christian would follow the new saints’ examples by shunning an attachment to money, wealth and power, and instead following Jesus and sharing his love with others.
And he prayed the new saints would inspire the whole church to set aside “structures that are no longer adequate for proclaiming the Gospel, those weights that slow down our mission, the strings that tie us to the world.”
Among those in St. Peter’s Square for the Mass was Rossi Bonilla, a Salvadoran now living in Barcelona. “I’m really emotional, also because I did my Communion with Monsignor Romero when I was eight years old,” she told Catholic News Service.
“He was so important for the neediest; he was really with the people and kept strong when the repression started,” Bonilla said. “The struggle continues for the people, and so here we are!”
Claudia Lombardi, 24, came to the canonization from Brescia, Italy – St. Paul VI’s hometown. Her local saint, she said, “brought great fresh air” to the church with the Second Vatican Council and “has something to say to us today,” particularly with his 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae” on human life and married love, especially its teaching about “the conception of life, the protection of life always.”
In his homily, Pope Francis said that “Jesus is radical.”
“He gives all and he asks all; he gives a love that is total and asks for an undivided heart,” the pope said. “Even today he gives himself to us as the living bread; can we give him crumbs in exchange?”
Jesus, he said, “is not content with a ‘percentage of love.’ We cannot love him 20 or 50 or 60 percent. It is either all or nothing” because “our heart is like a magnet – it lets itself be attracted by love, but it can cling to one master only and it must choose: either it will love God or it will love the world’s treasure; either it will live for love or it will live for itself.”
“A leap forward in love,” he said, is what would enable individual Christians and the whole church to escape “complacency and self-indulgence.”
Without passionate love, he said, “we find joy in some fleeting pleasure, we close ourselves off in useless gossip, we settle into the monotony of a Christian life without momentum where a little narcissism covers over the sadness of remaining unfulfilled.”
(Contributing to this story were Carol Glatz, Junno Arocho Esteves and Melissa Vida.)

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Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz

Por Obispo Joseph Kopacz
Hace semanas participé en cuatro audiencias públicas, alrededor de la Diócesis de Jackson, en respuesta a la crisis actual después del Informe del Gran Jurado de Pensilvania y el escándalo del Cardenal Theodore McCarrick.
Estas sesiones tomaron cuatro días consecutivos, del 4 al 7 de octubre, en Tupelo, Cleveland, Madison y Natchez respectivamente, a las que asistieron alrededor de 200 feligreses.
La hermana Dorothy Heiderscheit, quien prestó servicios en la Diócesis de Jackson, en dos ocasiones diferentes durante tres décadas, facilitó las cuatro sesiones. Ella es la actual directora del Instituto Southdown, en las afueras de Toronto, Canadá. Todos los asistentes tuvieron la oportunidad de responder a tres preguntas.
1. ¿Qué sentimientos, emociones, preocupaciones le nacen en este momento? 2. ¿Cómo te mantienes como una persona de fe durante este tiempo? 3. ¿Qué te ayudará a continuar?
Siguiendo el modelo de las 17 sesiones para la Visión de la Diócesis, de hace dos años y medio, todos los participantes pudieron reflexionar y conversar con otros en sus mesas y luego compartir el fruto de sus discusiones con todos los asistentes. Creo que los participantes, aunque no tan numerosos como los 1,100 que asistieron a la consulta de la Visión de la Diócesis, representaron bien a la Diócesis de Jackson en general.
Las preguntas les dieron a cada uno la oportunidad de expresar con profundidad, de manera sincera y respetuosa, sus emociones, compartir su fe, el amor por la Iglesia y hacer preguntas específicas sobre nuestras estructuras diocesanas, políticas y protocolos, nuestro apoyo y compasión por víctimas de abuso sexual, respuesta a las denuncias de abuso en la actualidad, nuestra relación con las autoridades civiles, la voz de las mujeres y sus roles en todos los niveles de la vida diocesana, la independencia auténtica de nuestras juntas diocesanas y de quienes investigan las denuncias, la selección de candidatos para el seminario, así como la formación, transparencia y responsabilidad del seminario, el estado actual de los entornos seguros en nuestras parroquias, escuelas y ministerios, y cómo responderán los obispos en su reunión de noviembre en Baltimore, especialmente con respecto a protocolos transparentes para su propia responsabilidad.
Las sesiones duraron entre una hora y media y dos horas. La hermana Dorothy observó que “…muchos de los asistentes expresaron agradecimiento por la oportunidad de compartir preocupaciones, frustraciones e ideas con el obispo, y que sus preguntas fueran respondidas con honestidad y franqueza.”
Compartí con los asistentes que sus emociones y sus voces, clamando por el arrepentimiento, la justicia y la reconciliación desde el centro de la Iglesia Católica hasta los bordes de esta, surgen del corazón de Dios. Todos tenemos una profunda sensación de que el abuso por parte de un clérigo ordenado supera con creces el abuso sexual de un maestro, entrenador, tutor, vecino o un miembro de la familia extendida, etc.
En estos casos, tan brutal como es, una víctima a menudo puede encontrar consuelo, apoyo y esperanza en sus familias. El abuso sexual por parte del clero está más a la par con el abuso por parte de un padre porque, en ambos casos, la seguridad del hogar, en este caso la morada espiritual de uno, la Iglesia, se destruye. Es indignante porque puede destruir la relación de uno con Jesucristo y su amor salvador. De hecho, los participantes expresaron sus emociones más viscerales de ira hacia los abusadores, especialmente los depredadores, y la mala gestión y encubrimiento de algunos en la jerarquía.
Otros sentimientos fueron de vergüenza, tristeza profunda, confusión, incertidumbre sobre el futuro de la Iglesia, miedo, tristeza abrumadora, vergüenza de ser católicos, preocupación y compasión por las víctimas, sus familias y por todo el clero fiel.
Muchos de los participantes eran de mediana edad y mayores. Hubo el sentimiento compartido de que este momento es una carga pesada para los católicos de cuna, cuya confianza en la Iglesia y su liderazgo ha sido la base de sus vidas. ¿Por qué hay una preponderancia, en personas de la segunda mitad de la vida, de asistir a sesiones como estas? Por un lado, muchos jóvenes no son una parte activa interesada en la Iglesia y esto no es una prioridad.
Otro observó, en una nota positiva que las familias más jóvenes, que participan en la Iglesia, han experimentado de primera mano desde 2002 un alto nivel de seguridad, para sus niños y jóvenes, en nuestros programas y ministerios, fomentando la confianza en el compromiso de la Iglesia de proteger en ambientes seguros. Para mí, durante estas cuatro sesiones, se reforzó el hecho de que no es intrascendente discutir adecuadamente los esfuerzos de la Iglesia desde 2002, no de una manera presuntuosa sino en un contexto de transparencia y rendición de cuentas.
Los católicos mayores, que no han experimentado directamente protocolos de entorno seguro en las últimas décadas, apreciaron los efectos positivos de nuestros estándares de entorno seguro, la relación activa con el Fiscal del Distrito en cada condado, la manera independiente y oportuna de investigar y procesar las denuncias cuando llegan y, sobre todo, a nuestra divulgación y preocupación activa por todas las víctimas de abuso sexual en la Iglesia.
Los niveles más profundos de arrepentimiento, conversión, sanación y esperanza son siempre un trabajo en progreso y sabemos sin lugar a duda que el Señor Jesús está hablando en este momento a través de muchos profetas en la Iglesia y la sociedad, la mayoría de los cuales no están ordenados.
Debido a que la Iglesia es una organización mundial de más de 2000 años, el cambio puede ser terriblemente lento. Paradójicamente, debido a que la Iglesia es un organismo mundial, a veces el cambio puede suceder a un ritmo acelerado. ¿Qué evidencia hay para esto? En los 16 años y medio transcurridos desde la Carta de Dallas, nuestro compromiso con protocolos eficaces para entornos seguros ha transformado el paisaje y la cultura de la Iglesia Católica en los Estados Unidos. Todo el Cuerpo de Cristo, laicado y ordenado, ha estado girando la rueda de la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas desde 2002.
Me di cuenta, el domingo pasado en Christ the King en Southaven durante la celebración de la Confirmación, que la gran mayoría de los 74 Confimandi que celebraron el don del Espíritu Santo nacieron en 2002 o más tarde. Ellos han conocido las bendiciones de los estándares efectivos de ambiente seguro en los ministerios y programas de la Iglesia.
Comparto esta reflexión como un ejemplo de lo que puede suceder cuando los laicos y los ordenados trabajan juntos por el bien de todo el Cuerpo de Cristo, la Iglesia, especialmente en nombre de nuestros niños y jóvenes. Tengo esperanza y la confianza, no de forma ingenua, que dondequiera que la pudrición del clericalismo y la resistencia a la conversión se manifiesten en la Iglesia, la luz de Jesucristo brillará en esa oscuridad, transformando el Cuerpo de Cristo. Todos los que aman al Señor Jesús y a la Iglesia están llamados a orar y trabajar juntos para lograr este fin.