Author Archives: Tereza Ma

Bishop schedule

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Sunday, Sept. 30, 8:30 a.m. – Mass of installation for Father Augustine Palimattam, Meridian St. Joseph Parish.
11 a.m. – Mass of installation for Father Augustine Palimattam, Meridian St. Patrick Parish.
Thursday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m. – St. Richard Special Kids Golf Tournament, Deerfield Country Club.
Sunday, Oct. 7, 9 a.m. – Mass and picnic, Forest St. Michael Parish.
Monday, Oct. 8 – Thursday, Oct 11 – Clergy formation convocation, Northeast Conference Center, Meridian.
Sunday, Oct. 14, 12:15 p.m. – Mass, Jackson Holy Ghost Parish.
Monday, Oct. 15-17, 6 p.m. – Catholic Extension’s Mission Bishops’ Conference, Oak Brook, Il.
Thursday, Oct. 18, 6 p.m. – Catholic Charities, Purple Dress Run, the District lifestyle center, Jackson.
Saturday, Oct. 20, 5:15 p.m. – Mass for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Jackson, St. Peter Cathedral
Sunday, Oct. 21, 11 a.m. – Mass and Blessing of pieta replica, Southaven Christ the King
12:30 p.m. – Mass in Spanish, Southaven Christ the King
4 p.m. – Confirmation, Southaven Christ the King

Only public events are listed on this schedule and all events are subject to change.
Please check with the local parish for further details

Encuentro transformador energiza la Iglesia

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Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz

Por Obispo Joseph Kopacz
Desde el Papa Francisco, con amor, a Grapevine, Texas, a aproximadamente 3,500 líderes católicos de todos los Estados Unidos. El Santo Padre alentó a los reunidos para la reunión nacional V Encuentro a “derribar muros y construir puentes…A través de este proceso de V Encuentro, usted puede promover una cultura del encuentro”, dijo el Papa Francisco. “Es una manera concreta de ir más allá de nuestras zonas de confort y buscar a aquellos que necesitan esperanza en sus vidas, especialmente los jóvenes y aquellos que están en la periferia”.
Los obispos de Estados Unidos iniciaron “Encuentro,” proceso que significa encontrarse para servir mejor a la creciente comunidad latinoamericana. El proceso continuará hasta 2020. “Para el Papa, el discipulado misionero comienza con un encuentro con Cristo”, dijo el arzobispo Christophe Pierre, nuncio apostólico de los Estados Unidos, en sus comentarios bilingües. “Nos hemos reunido para encontrar al Cristo que da sentido a nuestras vidas. Una vez que lo hayamos encontrado, lo compartiremos con quienes nos encontremos “.
En medio de la celebración, el Arzobispo García-Siller de San Antonio reconoció el dolor por el escándalo de abusos sexuales que salió a la luz en el informe del gran jurado de Pensilvania y las revelaciones sobre el arzobispo Theodore McCarrick. “Tienes razón al tener el corazón roto por las faltas de tus pastores”, dijo. “Recemos a Dios por las víctimas de los crímenes de esta crisis. Haz todo lo que puedas por las víctimas. Oren también por los perpetradores y por nosotros sus obispos “. Entonces, al momento, el arzobispo García-Siller trajo la luz y la esperanza del Evangelio. “El Espíritu Santo viene a despertarnos e inflamar nuestros corazones con un amor renovado por Dios”, dijo. “No debemos tener miedo. El Señor estará presente con nosotros. Él es el crucificado, pero él es el resucitado también “.
La Hermana de la Misericordia, Ana María Pineda, profesora asociada de la Universidad de Santa Clara y miembro fundador de la Iniciativa Teológica Hispana, compartió una reflexión sobre la historia del proyecto Encuentro, que comenzó en 1972. Encuentros posteriores en 1977 y 1985 ayudaron a la iglesia a discernir mejor sus cambios demográficos. El cuarto Encuentro, o Encuentro 2000, celebró las contribuciones de las muchas culturas que conforman la Iglesia de los Estados Unidos.
“Una vez más, Dios nos recuerda”, dijo la hermana Pineda sobre el V Encuentro, “Hoy reivindicamos nuevamente quiénes somos”. Por así decirlo “Quienes somos” es una realidad muy diferente a la de hace 46 años en el momento del primer Encuentro. La comunidad latina ha crecido y evolucionado en más de dos generaciones adicionales a través del nacimiento y la inmigración a casi el 40% de la Iglesia Católica en los Estados Unidos.
El enfoque del V Encuentro es el reconocimiento de que los latinos están llamados a asumir un mayor liderazgo en la Iglesia. Como la demografía de la Iglesia Católica en las últimas décadas se ha desplazado desde el Nordeste y el Medio Oeste hacia el Sur y el Oeste, también los descendientes de inmigrantes europeos han cedido a la inmigración de América Central y América Latina, Asia, África y las Islas del Caribe.
Desde la conclusión del Concilio Vaticano II en 1965, los laicos en virtud del llamado universal a la santidad en el Bautismo y su vocación de ejercer el ministerio en el Cuerpo de Cristo han adoptado la misión y los ministerios de la Iglesia que una vez fueron casi dominio exclusivo del ordenado y el religioso. La presencia creciente de católicos latinos y católicos asiáticos, en este momento en la Iglesia de los Estados Unidos, inevitablemente transformará la tez del liderazgo en el futuro. El V Encuentro trata de hacer esta transformación más intencional.
A pesar de las sombras que oscurecen la misión y visión de la Iglesia, Encuentro estuvo marcado por una alegría generalizada, considerable ánimo (espíritu), amor entusiasta por el Señor y la Santísima Madre, y el-sigue adelante-, esperanza para el futuro.
La oración de la mañana y la tarde, y especialmente la Misa, se celebraron con reverencia en el fuego del Espíritu Santo. Nuestros delegados de la Diócesis de Jackson estuvieron completamente involucrados en todos los procedimientos y muchos en el frente interno estuvieron presentes en oración y espíritu.
Nuestro compromiso y nuestra colaboración con el ministerio hispano a lo largo y ancho de nuestra Diócesis es notable. Esta no es solo mi humilde opinión. Este año, Extensión Católica (Catholic Extension, por su nombre en inglés) ha seleccionado a nuestro ministerio hispano como uno de sus finalistas para el premio Lumen Christi, que se otorga anualmente a un destinatario en una Diócesis Misionera, por su trabajo ejemplar al servicio del Evangelio. Con San Pablo en su carta a los Filipenses, podemos regocijarnos en el Señor, siempre y que el Señor, que ha comenzado el buen trabajo en nosotros, lo lleve a su cumplimiento en el día de Cristo Jesús.

Transformative encounter means to energize church

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Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
From Pope Francis, with love, to Grapevine, Texas to an estimated 3,500 Catholic Leaders from throughout the United States. The Holy Father encouraged those gathered for the V Encuentro national gathering to “tear down walls and build bridges.” “Through this V Encuentro process, you can promote a culture of encounter,” Pope Francis said. “It is a concrete way to move beyond our comfort zones and look for those who need hope in their lives, especially young people and those who are on the peripheries.”
The U.S. bishops initiated the Encuentro, which means “Encounter,” to better serve the growing Latin American community. The process will continue through 2020. “For the pope, missionary discipleship begins with an encounter with Christ,” Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, said in his bilingual remarks. “We have come together to encounter the Christ that gives meaning to our lives. Once we have encountered him, we will share him with those we encounter.”
Amid the celebration, Archbishop García-Siller of San Antonio acknowledged the sexual abuse scandal brought to light by the Pennsylvania grand jury report and revelations about Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. “You are right to be broken-hearted by the faults of your shepherds,” he said. “Let us pray to God for the victims of the crimes of this crisis. Do all you can for the victims. Pray also for the perpetrators and for us your bishops.”
Then he brought the light and hope of the Gospel to the moment. “The Holy Spirit comes to wake us up and inflame our hearts with a renewed love for God,” he said. “We must not be afraid. The Lord will be present with us. He is the crucified one, but he is the risen one, too.”
Sister of Mercy Ana María Pineda, an associate professor at Santa Clara University and a founding member of the Hispanic Theological Initiative, shared a reflection on the history of the Encuentro project, which began in 1972. Subsequent Encuentros in 1977 and 1985 helped the church better discern its changing demographics. The fourth Encuentro or Encuentro 2000, celebrated the contributions of the many cultures that make up the U.S. Church. “Once again God remembers us,” Sister Pineda said of the V Encuentro. “Today we once again claim who we are.”
“Who we are,” so to speak, is a far different reality from 46 years ago at the time of the first Encuentro.
The Latino community has grown and evolved over two additional generations through birth and immigration to nearly 40 percent of the Catholic Church in the United States. The focus of the V Encuentro is the recognition that Latinos are called to assume greater leadership in the Church. As the demographics of the Catholic Church in recent decades has shifted from the Northeast and the Midwest to the South and the West, so too have the descendants of European immigrants yielded to immigration from Central and Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Islands of the Caribbean.
Since the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council in 1965 the laity by virtue of the universal call to holiness in Baptism and their vocation to exercise ministry in the Body of Christ, has embraced the mission and ministries of the Church that were once the nearly exclusive domain of the ordained and religious. The burgeoning presence of Latino Catholics and Asian Catholics at this moment in the Church of the United States will inevitably transform the complexion of leadership going forward. The V Encuentro is about making this transformation more intentional.
In spite of the shadows that obscure the Church’s mission and vision, The Encuentro was marked by widespread joy, considerable animo (spirit), enthusiastic love for the Lord and the Blessed Mother and hope for the future (sigue adelante). Morning and evening prayer and especially the Mass, were celebrated with reverence in the fire of the Holy Spirit. Our delegates from the Diocese of Jackson were fully engaged in all of the proceedings and many on the home front were present in prayer and spirit. Our commitment to and our collaboration with the Hispanic ministry throughout our Diocese is remarkable.
This is not just my humble opinion. This year Catholic Extension has selected our Hispanic ministry as one of their four finalists for the Lumen Christi award which is bestowed annually to a recipient in a mission ds iocese for exemplary work in service of the Gospel. With Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians, we can rejoice in the Lord, always and may the Lord who has begun the good work in us bring it to fulfillment on the day of Christ Jesus.

Feast day fiesta at St. Matthew

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RIPLEY – Members of St. Matthew Parish in Ripley celebrated their patron saint on Saturday, Sept. 22. The actual feast is celebrated worldwide on Sept. 21.
Matthew, the evangelist and apostle was a tax collector for the Romans. He coverted to Jesus and after the resurrection, Matthew preached for years in Judea and in nearby countries. San Mateo (in Spanish) is credited for being a patron of bankers and is represented with a book.
The celebration started with Mass, but included dancers from Tupelo St. James Parish who came to share a traditional Aztec drama- dance. “Los Matachines,” usually dance in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The dance represents the fight of good versus evil. At the end good is the winner.

(Katia Cruz contributed to this story)

RIPLEY – Above “Los Matachines,” dancers from Tupelo St James Parish. For more than ten years this group has offered traditional Aztec dance performances around Mississippi. With 40 members including young and adults, the group came to bring color and music to the celebration for the Feast Day of St. Matthew. (Photos courtesy of Madeline Hale)

In right photo: Father Jesuraj Xavier accepts the gifts from the dancers during the Mass. (l-r)Carriying flowers Sindy Vázquez and her mother, Rosario Gonzalez, Brithney, Yaire López and Alma Diaz, the last two are current leaders of the dancers.

Principals explore Beatitudes at annual gathering

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Catholic School principals and Early Learning Center directors gathered in Jackson on Wednesday Sept. 12, for a day of reflection and discussions. Stephanie Brown, coordinator for school improvement, led a discussion that focused on mission and mindset and how these connect to the Catholic identity theme for the year, living the Beatitudes. The principals and directors gather several times a year for professional as well as spiritual development and to address administrative business.

JACKSON – Jo Anne Heisterkamp, elementary principal of Greenville St. Joseph School, answers a quiz question during the principal’s meeting in Jackson. (Photos by Maureen Smith)

Principals and directors downloaded a classroom participation app and engaged in a friendly quiz competition during their meeting in Jackson. Cathedral’s Norm Yvon won the quiz game.

Be grateful to parents, never insult them

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By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Honoring mothers and fathers means being grateful for the gift of life and Christians should never insult anyone’s parents, Pope Francis said.
“Among us there is also the habit of saying awful things, even profanity. Please, never, never, never insult other people’s parents. Never! Never insult a mother, never insult a father,” the pope said Sept. 19 during his weekly general audience.
“Make this decision: from today forward, ‘I will never insult someone’s mom or dad.’ They gave life! They should not be insulted,” he told those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Gray clouds forming above the square did little to dampen the spirits of thousands of pilgrims who cheered as they waited for the pope to pass by in his popemobile.
As customary, the pope greeted them, blessed religious articles and kissed children who were brought up to him.
During the general audience, the pope continued his series of talks on the Ten Commandments and reflected on the obligation to “honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”
To love and respect one’s father and mother, he said, means “recognizing their importance with concrete actions that express dedication, affection and care.”
“Honor your parents: they gave us life. If you have distanced yourself  from your parents, make an effort and return, go back to them, perhaps they are old. They gave you life,” the pope said.
Pope Francis explained that the promise of a long life that comes from honoring one’s parents associates happiness with one’s relationship with them.
“This centuries-old wisdom declares what human science has only been able to elaborate upon a little over a century ago: that the imprint of childhood marks a person’s life,” he said.
However, this commandment does not require mothers and fathers to be perfect and regardless of the merits of one’s parents, “all children can be happy because the achievement of a full and happy life depends on the proper gratitude to those who have brought us into the world.”
The pope recalled the example of saints who despite being orphaned or having lived through painful childhoods grew up to “live virtuous lives because, thanks to Jesus Christ, they reconciled with their life.”
Recalling the life of Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio, who will be canonized alongside Blesseds Paul VI and Oscar Romero Oct. 14, the pope said that although Blessed Sulprizio lost his mother and father when he was very young, he “reconciled with so much pain” and never betrayed his parents.
“We should also think of St. Camillus de Lellis, who, out of a dysfunctional childhood, built a life of love and service; St. Josephine Bakhita, who grew up in horrible slavery; or Blessed Carlo Gnocchi, orphaned and poor; and even St. John Paul II, who was impacted by the death of his mother at a tender age,” he added.
In the light of love, Pope Francis said, sad and painful experiences “can become for others a source of well-being.”
Thus, he said “we can begin to honor our parents with the freedom of adult children and with merciful acceptance of their limitations.”

(Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju)

Bridging unbridgeable gaps

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Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
“Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so and no one can cross from there to us.”
Abraham speaks these words to a soul in hell in the famous parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16, 19-21) and they are generally understood to mean that there exists between heaven and hell a gap that’s impossible to bridge. Nobody passes from hell to heaven. Hell is forever and no amount of regret or repentance there will get you to heaven. Indeed, once in hell, nobody in heaven can help you either, the gap between the two is eternally fixed!
But that’s not what this parable is teaching.
Some years ago, Jean Vanier delivered the prestigious Massey Lectures and he took up this parable. The point he emphasized is that the “unbridgeable chasm” referred to here is not the gap between heaven and hell as this is understood in the popular mind. Rather, for Vanier, the unbridgeable gap exists already in this world in terms of the gap between the rich and the poor, a gap that we have forever been unable to bridge. Moreover it’s a gap with more dimensions than we first imagine.
What separates the rich from the poor so definitively with a chasm that, seemingly, can never be bridged? What would bridge that gap?
The prophet Isaiah offers us a helpful image here (Isaiah 65, 25). Drawing upon a messianic dream he tells us how that gap will finally be bridged. It will be bridged, he submits, in the Messianic age, when we’re in heaven because it’s there, in an age when God’s grace is finally able to affect universal reconciliation, that the “the wolf and lamb will feed together” (or, as this is commonly read, “the lion and the lamb will lie down together.”)
The lion and the lamb will lie down together. But lions kill lambs! How can this change? Well, that’s the unbridgeable gap between heaven and hell. That’s the gap between the victim and the killer, the powerless and the powerful, the bullied and the bully, the despised and the bigot, the oppressed and the oppressor, the victim and the racist, the hated and the hater, the older brother and his prodigal brother, the poor and the rich. That’s the gap between heaven and hell.
If this is what Isaiah intuits and I think it is, then this image contains a powerful challenge which goes both ways: It isn’t just the lion that needs to convert and become sensitive, understanding and non-violent enough to lie down with the lamb; the lamb too needs to convert and move to deeper levels of understanding, forgiveness and trust in order to lie down with the lion. Ironically, this may be a bigger challenge to the lamb than to the lion. Once wounded, once victimized, once hated, once spit on, once raped, once beaten-up by a bully, once discriminated against because of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation and it becomes very difficult, almost impossible existentially, to truly forgive, forget and move with trust towards the one who hurt us.
This is a tough saying, but life can be grossly unfair sometimes and perhaps the greatest unfairness of all is not the injustice of being victimized, violated, raped or murdered, but that, after all this has been done to us, we’re expected to forgive the one who did it to us while at the same time knowing that the one who hurt us probably has an easier time of it in terms of letting go of the incident and moving towards reconciliation. That’s perhaps the greatest unfairness of all. The lamb has to forgive the lion who killed it.
And yet this is the invitation to all of us who have ever been victimized. Parker Palmer suggests that violence is what happens when someone doesn’t know what else to do with his or her suffering and that domestic abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and contempt for the poor are all cruel outcomes of this. What we need, he suggests, is a bigger “moral imagination”.
He’s right, I believe, on both scores: violence is what happens when people don’t know what to do with their sufferings and we do need a bigger moral imagination. But understanding that our abuser is in deep pain, that the bully himself was first bullied, doesn’t generally do much to ease our own pain and humiliation.
As well, imagining how ideally we should respond as Christians is helpful, but it doesn’t of itself give us the strength to forgive. Something else is needed, namely, a strength that’s presently beyond us.
This is a tough teaching, one that should not be glibly presented. How do you forgive someone who violated you? In this life, mostly, it’s impossible; but remember Isaiah is speaking about the messianic time, a time when, finally, with God’s help, we will be able to bridge that unbridgeable chasm.

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

Church plans third-party abuse reporting system, code of conduct

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By Julie Asher
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pledging to “heal and protect with every bit of the strength God provides us,” the U.S. bishops’ Administrative Committee Sept. 19 outlined actions to address the abuse crisis, including approving the establishment of a third-party confidential reporting system for claims of any abuse by bishops.
It also instructed the U.S. bishops’ canonical affairs committee to develop proposals for policies addressing restrictions on bishops who were removed or resigned because of allegations of abuse of minors or adults.
It initiated the process of developing a code of conduct for bishops regarding sexual misconduct with a minor or adult or “negligence in the exercise of his office related to such cases.”

Having removed symbols of his office, his ring, miter, crosier and zucchetto, Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond, Va., lies prostrate during the Mass of Atonement for victims of abuse Sept. 14., at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond. (CNS photo/Michael Mickle, The Catholic Virginian)

The committee also said it supported “a full investigation into the situation” surrounding Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, former cardinal-archbishop of Washington, “including his alleged assaults on minors, priests and seminarians, as well as “any responses made to those allegations.”
The statement, released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, came out of the committee’s semiannual meeting held Sept. 11-12 at USCCB headquarters in Washington.
The Administrative Committee consists of the officers, chairmen and regional representatives of the USCCB. The committee, which meets in March and September, is the highest authority of the USCCB outside of the full body of bishops when they meet for their fall and spring general assemblies.
“This is only a beginning,” the committee said in its Sept. 19 statement. “Consultation with a broad range of concerned parents, experts and other laity along with clergy and religious will yield additional, specific measures to be taken to repair the scandal and restore justice.
“We humbly welcome and are grateful for the assistance of the whole people of God in holding us accountable,” the committee said.
The committee acknowledged its members had assembled for their meeting in Washington at a “time of shame and sorrow.”
“Some bishops, by their actions or their failures to act, have caused great harm to both individuals and the church as a whole,” the committee said. “They have used their authority and power to manipulate and sexually abuse others.
“They have allowed the fear of scandal to replace genuine concern and care for those who have been victimized by abusers,” it continued. “For this, we again ask forgiveness from both the Lord and those who have been harmed. Turning to the Lord for strength, we must and will do better.”
Full descriptions of the actions the committee took are as follows:
– Approved the establishment of a third-party reporting system that will receive confidentially, by phone and online, complaints of sexual abuse of minors by a bishop and sexual harassment of or sexual misconduct with adults by a bishop. It will direct those complaints to the appropriate ecclesiastical authority and, as required by applicable law, to civil authorities.
– Instructed the USCCB Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance to develop proposals for policies addressing restrictions on bishops who were removed or resigned because of allegations of sexual abuse of minors or sexual harassment of or misconduct with adults, including seminarians and priests.
– Initiated the process of developing a code of conduct for bishops regarding the sexual abuse of a minor; sexual harassment of or sexual misconduct with an adult; or negligence in the exercise of his office related to such cases.
– Supported a full investigation into the situation surrounding Archbishop McCarrick, including his alleged assaults on minors, priests, and seminarians, as well any responses made to those allegations. “Such an investigation should rely upon lay experts in relevant fields, such as law enforcement and social services.”
As the initiatives get underway, the Administrative Committee asked all U.S. bishops “to join us in acts of prayer and penance.”
“This is a time of deep examination of conscience for each bishop. We cannot content ourselves that our response to sexual assault within the church has been sufficient. Scripture must be our guide forward. ‘Be doers of the word and not hearers only,’” it said, quoting the Letter of James.
“In all of this,” no one – including the bishops – can “lose sight of those who have suffered from those who have acted or failed to act as the Gospel demanded,” it said.
“For survivors of sexual abuse, these days may reopen deep wounds. Support is available from the church and within the community,” it emphasized.
The committee reminded all in the church that victims assistance coordinators are available in every diocese to help victim-survivors and their families find resources.
Since the bishops first adopted “the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” in 2002, the committee said, “hundreds of dedicated people … have been working with the church to support survivors and prevent future abuse.”
It said anyone who has been abused must “never hesitate to also contact local law enforcement.”
“If you don’t feel comfortable for any reason with the church providing help, your diocese can connect you with appropriate community services,” the committee said. “With compassion and without judgment, the bishops of the United States pledge to heal and protect with every bit of the strength God provides us.”
The committee concluded: “Acting in communion with the Holy Father, with whom we once again renew our love, obedience and loyalty, we make our own the prayer of Pope Francis in his Aug. 20 letter to the people of God, ‘May the Holy Spirit grant us the grace of conversion and the interior anointing needed to express before these crimes of abuse our compunction and our resolve courageously to combat them.’”

(Follow Asher on Twitter: @jlasher)

Lawmakers should focus on tax, wage reforms

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Father Ed Dougherty

Light one candle
Father Ed Dougherty, M.M.
St. Paul wrote, “I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)
The secret of contentedness that St. Paul refers to is all about having gratitude to God for the gift of life itself. One particular story exemplifying this kind of gratitude is that of Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray, two life-long friends who traversed the 500-mile Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail in northern Spain despite Justin’s confinement to a wheelchair.
“I’ll Push You” is a documentary chronicling Justin and Patrick’s journey across the Camino, and earlier this year the book version of their story won a Christopher Award. “I’ll Push You” details their harrowing yet joyful trek along rocky and sometimes muddy trails, over mountains, and down winding roads to reach Santiago de Compostela.
At one point in their journey, Justin says, “You know, it’s inevitable we all die at some point. But I’m making the best of it now.” Suffering from a rare autoimmune disease that has left him paralyzed and uncertain how long he will live, Justin must allow Patrick to push, pull and carry him all the way to Santiago de Compostela, where their wives await them after being apart for several weeks.
They cross mountain ranges, pass through old world cities like Pamplona and Leon, follow trails through vineyards, and make pit stops at ancient Cathedrals and monasteries.
Justin talks about the difficulty of having to rely on the assistance of Patrick and other generous travelers who help along the way, but then later he shares a profound realization, saying, “When you deny someone that opportunity to help you, you deny them the joy in life.”

I’ll Push You

Padre Pio once said, “In all the events of life, you must recognize the Divine will. Adore and bless it, especially in the things which are the hardest for you.” He meant that God can draw good out of all things, and Justin’s realization demonstrates his recognition of the good being drawn from his suffering.
Reflecting on the natural desire for independence that his condition has forced him to let go of, Justin says, “Once I’ve let that go, love can flourish and there’s this weird beauty that lies around that.” Understanding the insight this love has brought to him, he says, “I’d love to have my independence back, but I’m kind of wondering, if I got that back, would my life change and would love change, in that aspect? And would I trade it for that? I’m not so sure.”
Justin’s gratitude for the gift of life regardless of his condition sets an example for us all. He has achieved that state that St. Paul speaks of in terms of knowing how to live with abundance as well as sacrifice.
When we begin to appreciate life in all its stages — the joys and sorrows, pleasures and pains, moments of triumph and even defeat — we realize that God is utilizing all our experiences to draw us closer to His love. So embrace every moment of life with a heart open to transformation, and you will be content in knowing that God is leading you through it all to a state of everlasting joy.

(For free copies of the Christopher News Note THE ENDURING VALUE OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, write: The Christophers, 5 Hanover Square, New York, NY 10004; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org.)

Dialogue – dialogue fearlessly

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Father Jeremy Tobin

Millennial reflections
By Father Jeremy Tobin, O.Praem
Tuesday September 18, a large group of priests, deacons, religious and lay leaders spent the day, together with Bishop Kopacz, at St. Dominic Toulouse Center along I-55 near Lakeland Drive experiencing “Gathering for Mission.” (See page 8 for related story about the event). I participated in this, and, together with Glenmary Father Les Schmidt and FatherTim Murphy, I serve on the board of directors of the Catholic Committee of the South (CCS) which created it. Google Gathering for Mission is a five-year project sponsored by CCS and the Glenmary Home Missioners.
Inspired by Pope Francis, Gathering for Mission makes available to Church leaders practical experience in the dialogic process.
This is a most timely project to fully engage in. Our country, yes our world, is divided, fractured’ uncivil, and the list goes on. Racism, sexism, xenophobia are raging. Much on this I have to say will be for future columns. This one is on the antidote for division, healing for the hurting soul. Thoroughly inspired by Pope Francis, Gathering for Mission is more than learning new skills. It is a way to bring a group of people only partially familiar with each other to bond and form community. If that sounds a bit lofty, it enables a group to say their piece without fear, and to collectively solve problems.
It creates an atmosphere without fear. It breaks barriers
Taking Pope Francis oft quoted saying “Dialogue! And dialogue fearlessly! Never stop the dialogue!” Dialogue breaks down walls. It seeks genuine common ground. It is not winning an argument, it is finding common ground.
To our country faced with double down divisive arguments, Pope Francis says dialogue fearlessly. If we engage all parties in dialogue the goal changes from winning and losing to collaborative solutions. What Gathering for Mission does is to pour cool water on a flaming fire of negativity – even hatred.
Gathering for Mission is about teaching dialogue. We may think we know what that is, but more likely we confuse it for what it is not. It is more than a process it is transformation. It changes the situation as perceived into a new reality. The best way to see this is to compare it to often what we think it is. It is not a debate. It is not about one set of ideas vanquishing another set of ideas. It results in real actual change.
In a debate winning is the goal. In dialogue common ground is the goal. Right here we see a solution in this polarized world we live in. Dialogue is a method to approach issues and arrive at common ground and openness to change.
Dialogue supports open mindedness, and openness to being wrong, and openness to change.
This can be a threat to those who see everything as us against them, but this is precisely a non -violent rather peaceful way to create a new reality of understanding.
CCS is offering Gathering for Mission to dioceses, seminaries, religious groups and more, but I believe it can adapt as a way to confront hostile groups. Dialogue, by its nature, is expansive. It is open. It is flexible. It does not accept winning and losing. It works for common ground.
By learning and experiencing this process we, who are committed to the world view of the Gospel, can reach out to those who promote division in a way that is not confrontational but challenging.
Yes this can be threatening to those who approach us with their divide, rigid, everybody-has-a-label view of the world. This makes it effective.
The website, www.gatheringformission.org, has a list of videos, their titles alone pour soothing balm on polarizing situations. This program is designed for church settings, parishes, diocesan and religious groups , but I suggest that it can be adapted to other less compatible settings to effect a change in perception, in point of view, and even degree of openness to labeled groups.
To take it out of a church setting and use it in the way I suggest means that people have been trained thoroughly in the method, strong enough to wear down opponents. The key is creative patience.

(Father Jeremy Tobin, O.Praem, lives at the Priory of St. Moses the Black, Jackson.)