Author Archives: Tereza Ma

World Briefs

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NATION
Trump signs order to give faith groups stronger voice in government
WASHINGTON (CNS) – In front of a small crowd of cabinet members and religious leaders at the White House Rose Garden May 3, President Donald Trump announced, and then signed, an executive order giving faith-based groups a stronger voice in the federal government. “It’s a great day,” he said after signing the order and passing out pens to religious leaders who surrounded him outside on the spring morning for the National Day of Prayer event. No details about the order were given at the ceremony, but religious leaders were reminded of the work they do in caring for those in need and were assured by the president that their religious freedom would continue to be protected by the federal government. A White House document posted online after the order was signed said its purpose was to ensure that faith-based and community organizations “have strong advocates” in the White House and the federal government. It said the “White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative” would provide recommendations on programs and policies where faith-based and community organizations could partner with the government to “deliver more effective solutions to poverty.”

States file lawsuits to end DACA
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Continuing the legal drama against a program that protects some 800,000 young adults brought into the country without legal documentation as minors, seven states have filed a lawsuit attempting once more to end it. Joined by Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina and West Virginia, the state of Texas is leading the charge in a lawsuit filed May 1 that says then-President Barack Obama and his administration unlawfully and unilaterally granted what amounts to “citizenship” to “otherwise unlawfully present aliens” when it approved in 2012 the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Popularly known as DACA, the program grants a renewable work permit and other temporary documentation to the young adults if they meet certain conditions. Saying it was unlawful, President Donald Trump announced the program’s end in September and asked Congress to hash out a legislative solution by March, but lawmakers have not done so. Since Trump’s announcement, DACA has been on a legal roller coaster. Most recently, a federal district judge from the District of Columbia ruled on April 24 that the Trump administration did not explain why DACA was “unlawful” when it announced it was going to rescind it. Until it can do so – the administration was given 90 days to justify its action – the Department of Homeland Security, which administers the program, must continue to accept new applications and renew documents for those already enrolled, the judge said.

Iowa legislature sends fetal heartbeat bill to governor
DES MOINES, Iowa (CNS) – A bill described by some observers as the most restrictive abortion legislation in the nation has been sent to the desk of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. The governor has not said whether she will sign the bill, which the Iowa Legislature passed in the middle of the night May 2. Depending on when the legislature adjourns, Reynolds will have three days or 30 days to sign it. The so-called fetal heartbeat bill would prohibit abortions after a baby’s heartbeat can be detected. The legislation began as an amendment to an Iowa Senate bill that would stop trafficking in the fetal body parts that remain following an elective abortion. “As Pope Francis has said, ‘Let us respect and love human life, especially vulnerable life in a mother’s womb.’ We call upon the judiciary to once again recognize that all life should be protected from the moment of conception to natural death,” Tom Chapman, executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference, said after the bill’s passage. The bill spells out specific steps that must be followed when a woman seeks an abortion. Specifically, it requires a physician to perform an abdominal ultrasound when testing for a detectable fetal heartbeat and to inform the pregnant woman in writing whether a fetal heartbeat was detected, and if so, that an abortion is prohibited.

WORLD
Philippine cardinal urges daily bell tolling to call attention to murders
MANILA, Philippines (CNS) – Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle called for church bells in the archdiocese to toll at 8 p.m. each day to protest the continuing spate of killings in the country. He said the tolling of the bells will “haunt the perpetrators of violence and killing to remember their victims, never to forget them,” reported ucanews.com. “The bells beckon us to remember the dead … and to ask God to remember them,” said a statement from the cardinal. Ucanews.com reported a Catholic priest and a broadcast journalist were the most recent victims of assassinations. Father Mark Ventura was shot to death after celebrating Mass in Cagayan province April 29. Cardinal Tagle invited the faithful “to pause, remember and pray” for Father Ventura, the second priest to be killed in four months. In December, Father Marcelito Paez was shot dead in the province of Nueva Ecija. “It’s sad that a priest was killed … and even if he’s not a priest, a person. Isn’t he a gift from God? Is it that easy nowadays to just kill and throw someone away?” asked Cardinal Tagle.

VATICAN
Vatican issues instruction on improving canon law studies
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The changes in canon law Pope Francis made to ensure that marriage annulment cases were handled more quickly, more pastorally and with less expense mean that some changes should be made in the way church law is taught, said the Congregation for Catholic Education. The congregation published an instruction May 3 urging Catholic universities to strengthen their canon law programs and urging bishops to send more of their priests “and, if possible, laypeople” to Catholic universities to earn canon law degrees. The new rules, which go into effect for the 2019-2020 academic year, require all students in what is known as the “first cycle” of studies for church licenses in theology to take at least three semesters of canon law courses, including at least one devoted exclusively to church law regarding marriage and the process of recognizing the nullity of a marriage. The instruction also strongly encourages schools and faculties of canon law to offer courses designed for bishops, who have greater responsibility in determining the nullity of a marriage under the rules introduced by Pope Francis in 2015.

Update: Date set for final approval of canonization of Blesseds Paul VI, Romero
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Vatican announced that final approval would be given May 19 for the canonizations of Blesseds Paul VI, Archbishop Oscar Romero and four others. Pope Francis already cleared the way for their canonizations earlier this year with the publication of decrees recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of each one of the blesseds. The Vatican said May 3 that an “ordinary public consistory” – a meeting of the pope with cardinals resident in Rome and invited bishops and other dignitaries – would be held May 19 to finalize the approval of six canonizations. This meeting of cardinals and promoters of the sainthood causes formally ends the process of approving a new saint. The dates and locations for the canonization ceremonies are expected to be announced shortly after the consistory. Meanwhile, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, has said that Blessed Paul’s canonization will take place at the end of the Synod of Bishops on youth and discernment, scheduled for Oct. 3-28.

Five priests to celebrate significant anniversaries

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Five priests in the Dio

cese of Jackson will mark significant anniversaries of ordination in 2018. Father Noel Prendergast marks 60 years as a priest on June 7, Msgr. Elvin Sunds was ordained 45 years ago on August 5, Fathers Kent Bowlds and Tim Murphy are celebrating 25 years and Father Lincoln Dall was ordained 10 years ago on May 31.

Father Prendergast’s photo from when he first arrived in Mississippi. (Diocese of Jackson Archives)

Father Prendergast was born in Kilkenny, Ireland in 1934. He was ordained in St. Patrick’s Church in Carlow in 1958 and arrived in the then Diocese of Natchez Jackson that fall. He grew up with six brothers and one sister. Two of his brothers became priests. One stayed in their home diocese and another went to Africa as a missionary. The other siblings became farmers. Father Prendergast still goes home to visit his great-grand nieces and nephews.
When he arrived in Mississippi, starting his ministry at Biloxi Blessed Nativity Parish, the church was on the cusp of Vatican II and the state was just starting to see the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement. Father Prendergast said he and his brother priests had to listen and be patient as history took its course.
The priests got updates on Vatican II as the council progressed. “Our bishops were very supportive, Bishop (Joseph) Brunini and Bishop (Oliver) Gerow. Bishop Brunini would go over to Vatican II and come back after two or three months over there and tell us what went on. Then then we had workshops to prepare ourselves for what was coming out of Vatican II. It was all very helpful,” he said.
Father Prendergast went on to serve at Jackson St. Mary, Natchez Assumption, Columbus Annunciation, Vicksburg St. Michael, Yazoo City St. Mary and St. Francis and Clinton Holy Savior as well as at the mission in Gulfport. These days he is retired in Clinton. He helps out at Holy Savior, offering Masses when the pastor is out of town, between playing golf and visiting with friends.
Holy Savior will celebrate Father Prendergast’s anniversary on Monday, June 18, with Mass at 6 p.m. followed by a reception. All are welcome.

JACKSON – Msgr. Sunds, with Secretary of State Delbert Hoseman, opened the 2016 Mississippi Legislative session with prayer. He was often at the capitol advocating for Catholic Charities. (Mississippi Catholic File Photo)

Msgr. Sunds said he can hardly believe he is celebrating 45 years of priesthood. Although born in Nebraska, he was raised in Iowa where he attended Catholic schools. After high school, he went to seminary. He was not convinced he had a vocation, but “had a feeling this is what God wanted me to do.” Msgr. Sunds always tells young men they don’t have to go to seminary with their minds made up. Seminary, he said, helps men discern their call and acquire the skills they will need to do the job. “After all, as they say, God does not call the enabled, he enables the called,” he said.
When he advises young men who believe they have a vocation, Msgr Sunds urges them to “pray. Really listen to the Lord. He’s not going to whisper in your ear, but he will tug at your heart.” He took a year off during his seminary formation to be sure he was following the right path. He was serving in New York when he met some priests from Mississippi. “They were very involved in social ministry and serving the poor and I thought ‘that’s the kind of priest I want to be,’” said Msgr. Sunds. He returned to seminary and asked to be ordained for the Magnolia state.
He started on the coast, serving at Biloxi Sacred Heart before coming to Jackson for the most significant part of his career, working for 19 years at Catholic Charities. He was the director of the agency for 16 of those years. He left Charities and served as the Vicar General of the Diocese for 10 years. In parishes, he served at Jackson Holy Family, Meridian St. Patrick and St. Joseph and currently serves as pastor of Jackson St. Therese.

JACKSON – Father Kent Bowlds celebrates Mass with Bishop William Houck at St. Richard Parish in this 2001 photo. (Mississippi Catholic file photo)

Father Kent Bowlds will mark 25 years of the priesthood this June. The Kentucky native moved to Jackson with his parents, four sisters and one brother, when his Dad’s job was moved here. He was in seventh-grade so he finished school at St. Joseph School.
“I started thinking about priesthood in my junior or senior year of high school, and I think an important factor was all of the priests I had known — from Father Mitchell in Kentucky, who was young and down to earth, to Fathers Eddie Balser, Joe Dyer, Elvin Sunds, and others who helped me grow in faith, perhaps without their ever realizing it, while also being themselves with their unique personalities,” wrote Father Bowlds in an email to Mississippi Catholic.
Father Kent was not convinced of his vocation so he went to college and started a career. “After graduation I worked at Mississippi Public Broadcasting for ten years. I enjoyed that immensely but the idea of priesthood had never entirely gone out of my mind. I was ready for a change and after some good spiritual direction I decided the only way to truly discern was to enter seminary and was accepted by the Diocese of Jackson. In seminary the discernment continued and the call to priesthood solidified,” he wrote.
He worked as vocations director for the Diocese of Jackson for a number of years, so Father Kent has spoken to many young men about vocations. He urges them to have courage and be open. “And it’s important not to pray in a total vacuum, ‘just me and God,’ but also to consider all sorts of things, such as what others are saying about him, what his experiences tell him, where he finds himself naturally drawn, etc. A good spiritual adviser, also, will not try to talk someone into the priesthood, but can help one figure out what God could be saying,” he explained. “Some men think, ‘I might want a family someday’ — which doesn’t necessarily mean they are not called to priesthood. A desire for family can also indicate a generous spirit and an openness to long term commitment, qualities that are also essential for priesthood.”
He served at Madison St. Francis of Assisi, Meridian St. Patrick and St. Joseph, Clarksdale St. Elizabeth and Immaculate Conception, Jackson St. Richard and Holy Family, Crystal Springs St. John and Hazelhurst St. Martin as well as his current parish of Cleveland Our Lady of Victories.
Father Bowlds will celebrate his anniversary with a Mass and reception at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 22, at Cleveland Our Lady of Victories, Parish.
Also celebrating a quarter of a century of priesthood is Father Tim Murphy, pastor of Tupelo St. James and Pontotoc St. Christopher, ordained Nov. 27, 1993. “I was ordained by Bishop (William) Houck at Glenmary in Cincinnati. It was a wonderful privilege,” said Father Murphy, who was born in New Jersey.
He came to the diocese as a Glenmary Home Missioner in 1991. He was working with the Glenmary research center out of Atlanta as part of the order’s Commission on Justice. At that time, the Glenmarys had founded and were staffing several missions and parishes in the state including Amory St. Helen, Fulton Christ the King and West Point Immaculate Conception.
When the Glenmarys left in 2015, he was incardinated into the diocese. Father Murphy has always served in some of the diocese’s rural locations, often caring for more than one community at a time. He said he came to Mississppi “by the grace of God.”
His postings include Amory St. Helen, Fulton Christ the King, Aberdeen St. Francis, Houston Immaculate Heart of Mary, Okolona St. Theresa, Pontotoc St. Christopher and Bruce St. Luke.
“I am very happy to be here and I am grateful for the mission and to be a part of it,” said Father Murphy.

TUPELO – Father Lincoln Dall brought the tradition of the Camino del Santiago to St. James Parish. Wearing his pilgrim’s shell, he walks a pilgrimage to the parish in 2015. (Mississippi Catholic file photo)

Ten years ago, the diocese welcomed Father Lincoln Dall to the presbyterate. Dall was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was a lay missionary for eight years in Canada, Ecuador and the U.S. before he ended up in a teaching corps in Greenville. He joined Sacred Heart Parish. “I had been looking into the priesthood and they encouraged me,” he said of the parish community. He went to Sacred Heart Seminary in Wisconsin where he “had the most wonderful experience possible,” said Father Dall. “It encouraged me and nurtured me.” He was ordained on May 31, 2008.
Father Dall said he tells young men they don’t have to be 100 percent sure to attend seminary. “Just listen to where God is calling you and don’t be afraid to take little steps,” he advised.
Father Dall has made a number of pilgrimages – including several to the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James in Spain. He said the first one he made helped him discern his vocation. “Sometimes, you don’t understand what is happening while you are on the pilgrimage and you come home and unpack it – sometimes even years later,” he said. He started a pilgrimage at Tupelo St. James Parish to celebrate the parish’s patron.
Father Dall has served at Jackson St. Richard, Yazoo City St. Francis and St. Mary, Belzoni All Saints and Tupelo St. James. He is currently pastor of Pearl St. Jude Parish.

Vocations event examines variety of opportunities.

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GREENWOOD – Saturday, April 21, the Office of Hispanic Ministry and Pastoral Juvenil Hispana gathered a small group of Hispanic youth and young adults from Tupelo, Jackson, Canton, Greenville and Greenwood for a vocations event. The gathering, held at Locus Benedictus Retreat Center, is part of the office’s response to the Pastoral Plan and Encuentro process showing that vocations is an issue important to the community.
“We had a guest speaker from Argentina to help us understand the pros and cons of the millennial generation and how knowing ourselves can best guide our discernment process. In the afternoon, a vocational panel shared their experiences and witness, said Veronica Lopez, coordinator for young adult ministry for the office.
“The panel was composed of a married couple, religious brother, Franciscan friar, religious sister, Cesar Sanchez, a seminarian of the diocese, a lay woman committed to single life and a Redemptorist priest,” she continued. This group represents a whole spectrum of different vocational opportunities and helped the young people see that they can explore different paths.
All of the talks were framed around how the Paschal Mystery has the potential to ignite in each person an authentic call to vocation, which may be different for each person. Participants were encouraged to ask any questions they might have and to contribute to the conversation.
Roberto Zapata from the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle said he was encouraged to hear that God has a vocation planned for each person. “What amazed me was that each of us who attended shared different viewpoints and we came together more as young audlts,” he said.
Byron Lopez from Canton Sacred Heart Parish said he feels more prepared now to speak about vocations in his home community. “I left with a wider knowledge about vocations that I can share with other people so that they too have knowledge about their vocations. I am aware that it can help them enormously,” he said. Fellow Sacred Heart parishioner Dulce Basurta said she enjoyed hearing how each person lives out their faith through their vocation in their day-to-day lives.
Most of the participants commented that they appreciated the variety of vocations shared. The Office of Hispanic Ministry hopes to offer other vocational events in the coming months.

Photo by Veronica Lopez

Parish remembers beloved Glenmary

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By Maureen Smith
ABERDEEN – St. Francis Parish honored one of the Glenmary missioners who helped plant and nurture the seeds of the Catholic Community there by naming the parish hall after Brother Terry O’Rourke. A new sign went up April 27. Brother Terry O’Rourke died on March 10, 2017, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He served as a Glenmary Missioner for 58 years, many of those in Mississippi.
Parishioner Bob Seymour said Brother Terry built the original parish hall at St. Francis. That building burned 12 years ago, but the mark Brother Terry left on the community is indelible.

ABERDEEN – St. Francis named the parish hall in honor of Bro. Terry O’Rourke, a beloved Glenmary and member of the community. The sign was finished on Friday, April 27. (Photo by Bob Seymor)

“The idea came up at the parish council meeting in April. It had been a year since he passed away and we thought this would be a good thing to do. The parish council presented the idea to the parish and everyone loved it,” said Seymour. He remembers Brother Terry and Father Tim Murphy started a food bank out of the garage of the parish hall. That operation, known as Loaves and Fishes, is not its own non-profit with a grocery store and its own delivery truck.
Although much of what Brother Terry did was visible, he also helped in small, quiet ways. Seymour said he always helped cook Wednesday suppers, played horseshoes with a group of retirees and, in his spare time, helped train service dogs for other people to use. “Seemed like he always had a dog here. Even when he moved into the retirement home he had a dog,” said Seymour.

Catholic Charities offers financial training

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – On Tuesday, April 24, Catholic Charities of Jackson and Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) offered a unique training at Grenada St. Peter Parish with Bobbie Lison of Catholic Charities in Green Bay, Wis. Lison is a national trainer for “Your Money, Your Goals,” (YMYG) a set of financial empowerment tools. The idea is to give some specific problem-solving resources to just about anyone who works with people in need, especially social workers and case workers.
“This program is not meant to turn people into certified financial health counselors, but to provide them with tools and resources,” said Lison. “Say you are a mental health counselor and you can tell a client is stressed. When you ask why, they tell you payday lenders are calling and calling and they don’t know what to do. You can dip into these materials to find what you need to help,” she said.
Danna Johnson, who runs the Catholic Charities Office in Vardaman went to a training in YMYG a couple years ago and has been using the lessons with her clients.
Daughter of Charity Sister Mary Walz works at the Lexington Medical Clinic as a social worker. This may not seem like the kind of place to offer financial advice, but she says YMYG is an amazing resource for her. “I thought I was going to get a specific curriculum to follow, but this is better, because no matter what setting you are in, you can use this workbook to tailor your response.” she said. Sister Walz explained that when people come to the clinic she tries to spend a few minutes with them before their appointment with medical staff. She asks what their top stressors are. Many times the answer is money. “Finances can affect you – including a worry that you won’t be able to pay your clinic bill.”
Rather than try to steer her clients into a class, she can get specific information about their challenge and she and the client can tackle it together. “This program has modules to address different things, savings, repairing your credit, things like that,” she explained. One workbook asks clients to list all their bills and when they are due along with income. Seeing the information on paper can help people prioritize what to pay first, what resources may be available for shortfalls and it may help them see ways they can better manage their money. “This is very practical in helping someone line up their wants and needs. It is done in a very user-friendly model and is sensitive to the reality of people struggling with finances,” said Sister Walz. She said some clinic staff members want to go through the exercise for themselves.
The Consumer Federal Protection Bureau (CFPB) created Your Money Your Goals and partnered with Catholic Charities USA and other community service organizations to get it up and running across the country. CCUSA has three trainers who travel the country offering workshops like this one, usually for Catholic Charities staff members. At the Grenada training, other organizations were invited, including the president of the St. Vincent de Paul conference in Jackson, a representative of CHANGE Amory and someone from Canopy Children’s Solutions in Tupelo. “This gave us an opportunity to network because it brought together people from the Delta and North Mississippi who are in ministry who wouldn’t normally know one another,” said Dorothy Balser, coordinator for Parish Social Ministry for Catholic Charities of Jackson.
Each participant got a binder full of modules with lessons and exercises they can use with their clients, but the CFPB offers even more material on its website. Some material can be downloaded or ordered from the agency. To see the material go to www.consumerfinance.gov and search for Your Money, Your Goals.

Photos by Danna Johnson

Catholic media must not fall behind in digital age, pope says

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By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In an age when technology is ever-evolving, Catholic news organizations must be willing to adapt to effectively proclaim the Gospel to all, Pope Francis said.
Speaking to directors and employees of Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, the pope said that the use of new digital platforms not only requires significant technological updates but also a willingness to accept that “the attachment to the past may prove to be a dangerous temptation.”
“Authentic servants of tradition are those who, while keeping memory alive, know how to discern the signs of the times and open new paths,” he said May 1.
Marking the feast of St. Joseph the Worker and International Workers’ Day, which is a public holiday in Italy and many other countries, Pope Francis noted that Jesus’ foster father was a “man of silence,” which at first “may seem the opposite of a communicator.”
But, he said, Catholic journalists and news organizations must realize that “only by shutting down the noise of the world and our own gossip will it be possible to listen, which remains the first condition of every communication.”
Particularly in today’s world where “the speed of information surpasses our capacity of reflection,” he said, church members are exposed “to the impact and influence of a culture of haste and superficiality” and risk reducing the church’s mission to a “pastoral ministry of applause, to a dumbing down of thought and to a widespread disorientation of opinions that are not in agreement.”
The example set forth by St. Joseph, he added, is a reminder for all Christians working in the field of communications to “recover a sense of healthy slowness, tranquility and patience.”
“With his silence, he reminds us that everything begins from listening, from transcending oneself in order to be open to another person’s word and history,” the pope said.
Recalling the words of Blessed Paul VI, Pope Francis said that Catholic newspapers shouldn’t just report news to “make an impression or gain clients” but rather to educate their readers “to think, to judge” for themselves.
“Catholic communicators avoid rigidities that stifle or imprison,” he said. “They do not cage the Holy Spirit, but seek to let it fly, to let it breathe within the soul. They never allow reality to give way to appearances, beauty to vulgarity, social friendship to conflict. They cultivate and strengthen every sprout of life and goodness.”
Pope Francis encouraged Avvenire’s directors, journalists and employees to be heralds of the Gospel and, like St. Joseph, be true guardians who protect society’s well-being and dignity.

(Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.)

Poverty, chastity and obedience in secular age

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Father Ron Rolheiser

IN EXILE
By Father Ron Rolheiser, OMI
Cardinal Francis George was once asked what he thought of the radical pacifism of people like Dorothy Day and Daniel Berrigan, SJ, prophetic figures who believed in absolute nonviolence. How can this be practical, he was asked, it’s utterly naïve to believe that we can live without police and without soldiers. This was his reply: The world needs pacifists in the same way as it needs vowed celibates: They’re not practical. They’re out of place in this world. But they point to the eschatological world, the world of heaven, a world within which there will be no guns, where relational exclusivities will not exist as they exist now, where family will not be based on biology, blood or marriage, where there will be no poor people, and where everything will belong to everyone.
I thought of that recently as I was conducting a workshop on religious life for a group of young people who were discerning whether or not to enter vowed religious life. My task was not to try to persuade them to join a religious community but to help them understand what that life, should they join it, would entail. That meant, of course, long discussions on the three vows that people take to be in religious life: poverty, chastity, and obedience (classically termed “the Evangelical Counsels”).
What’s to be said about poverty, chastity, and obedience in a world that, for the most part, places its hope in material riches, generally identifies chastity with frigidity, and values individual freedom above all else?
Well, no doubt, poverty, chastity, and obedience are seen as radically counter-cultural; but that’s mostly because they are generally not very well understood (sometimes even by those who are living them out). For the most part they are seen as a drastic renunciation, the sacrificing of a full life, the unnatural denial of one’s sexuality, and the adolescent signing over of one’s freedom and creativity. But that’s a misunderstanding.
Poverty, chastity, and obedience are not a missing out on riches, sexuality, and freedom. They are rather a genuine, rich, modality of riches, sexuality, and freedom.
The vow of poverty isn’t primarily about living with cheaper things, not having a dishwasher and doing your own housework. It’s also not about renouncing the kinds of riches that can make for the full flourishing of life. A life of voluntary poverty is a lived way of saying that all material possessions are gift, that the world belongs to everyone, that nobody owns a country, and that nobody’s needs are first. It’s a vow against consumerism and tribalism, and it brings its own wonderful riches in terms of meaning and in the happiness and joy of a shared life.
Likewise for the vow of chastity: Properly understood, it is not a missing out on the joys of sexuality. It’s a rich modality of sexuality itself, given that being sexual means more than having sex. Sexuality is a beautiful, God-given drive within us for lots of things: community, friendship, togetherness, wholeness, family, play, altruism, enjoyment, delight, creativity, genital consummation, and for everything that takes us beyond our aloneness and makes us generative. And so the very real joys that are found in community, friendship, and service of others are not a second-rate substitute for sex. They bring their own sexual flourishing in terms of leading us out of our aloneness.
The same holds true for obedience. Properly understood, it’s not a missing out on real freedom. Rather it’s a rich modality of freedom itself, one practiced by Jesus (who repeatedly says: “I do nothing on my own. I do only the Father’s will.”) Obedience, as a religious vow, is not an immature sacrificing of one’s freedom and adulthood.
It’s rather a radical submitting of one’s human ego (with all its wounds, desires, lusts, private ambitions, and envies) to something and Someone higher than oneself, as seen in the human and religious commitments in persons from Jesus, to Teilhard de Chardin, to Dag Hammarskjold, to Simone Weil, to Mother Teresa, to Jean Vanier, to Daniel Berrigan. In each of these we see a person who walked this earth in a freedom we can only envy but clearly too in a freedom that’s predicated on a genuflecting of one’s individual will to something higher than itself.
Our thoughts and our feelings are strongly influenced by the cultural software within which we find ourselves. Thus, given how our culture understands riches, sex, and freedom today, this may well be the most difficult time in many centuries to make the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and live them out. Small wonder religious communities are not over-flooded with applications. But because it is more difficult than ever, it is also more important than ever that a number of women and men choose, voluntarily, to prophetically live out these vows.
And their seeming sacrifice will be amply rewarded because, paradoxically, poverty brings its own riches, chastity brings its own flourishing, and obedience provides us with the deepest of all human freedoms.

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

Catholic Charities to honor St. Dominic executives

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Claude Harbarger

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Catholic Charities will honor two healthcare leaders at this year’s Bishop’s Ball, set for Saturday, June 9, at the Jackson Country Club. During the evening event, Claude Harbarger and Lester Diamond will be honored with the Samaritan Award. Harbarger is the president of St. Dominic’s Health Services while Diamond is the president of St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital.
The Samaritan Award highlights the work of individuals whose support of Catholic Charities has made a lasting impact on the organization and community. Diamond and Harbarger are ever-present at Catholic Charities events and work with other community partners to advance the work of Catholic Charities in the community. John Lunardini, COO of Catholic Charities explained that the board felt the men provide a model of how community organizations can work together to amplify their positive impact.
“Their leadership running a faith-based healthcare system has greatly enhanced the quality of medical services provided to the community. And, their support of Charities through the St. Dominic Foundation has enabled us to serve many more people in a more diverse capacity throughout the state,” said Lunardini.
Harbarger, a Huntsville, Ala., native worked with hospitals in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee before coming to Jackson in May, 1987 as Senior Vice President of Professional Services for St. Dominic Hospital. He was named president of the hospital in 1991 and served in this role for 20 years. In January, 2012, Harbarger began serving as President of St. Dominic Health Services. He serves on a number of regional and national healthcare boards as well as being active at his church, First Presbyterian of Jackson, and in the local community. He and his wife Karis live in Jackson.
St. Dominic Health Services, sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, is the parent organization operating St. Dominic Hospital, St. Catherine’s Village, Madison Health Services and Community Health Services–St. Dominic, Inc., which incorporates the outreach services of The Club at St. Dominic’s, New Directions for Over 55, St. Dominic Community Health Clinic and the Care-A-Van screening program.

Lester Diamond

Diamond was actually born at St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital, but was raised in Millington, Tennessee. He worked in Texas and Georgia before he came back to Jackson to be vice-president of St. Dominic’s North Campus. He continued to move up through the ranks at the hospital before becoming president in 2012.
He and his wife, Gina, have three children and are active members of Jackson St. Richard Parish. St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital is a 535-bed acute-care facility in Jackson. It traces its history to 1946, when the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Ill., purchased the Jackson Infirmary in the center of the city. The infirmary was the foundation for a health system that today includes the acute care hospital, a continuing care community, and a full range of outpatient and community services.
Sister Dorothea Sondgeroth, associate executive director of the St. Dominic Health Services Foundation, has worked closely with both men. “Claude (Harbarger) and Lester (Diamond) both outstanding leaders at St. Dominic’s are worthy of recognition as recipients of the Catholic Charities Samaritan award. Both define the role of a Samaritan as they inspire St. Dominic’s 3,500 employees to reach out to help others through their words and actions while they themselves serve others without counting the cost,” she said.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz will give the awards to Harbarger and Diamond. “This provides us with the opportunity to direct the spotlight onto the mission and long-standing service of the Saint Dominic Health Care System in Mississippi. During their tenures these two have advanced the mission of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield ‘to provide compassionate care and hope as a healing ministry of the Catholic Church,’” said the bishop.
“As a member of the Board of Directors of the Saint Dominic Health System, I am privileged to experience first-hand their leadership, professional expertise and Gospel commitment to the advancing the state of healthcare across the South, and in particular for many years in the St. Dominic Health Care System.”
Tickets to the Bishop’s Ball are $85 per person. The evening includes dinner, live and silent auctions and dancing to live music. Call Catholic Charities to purchase tickets call Julie O’Brien at (601) 326-3714 or email at julie.obrien@catholiccharitiesjackson.org.

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El Papa Francisco ofrece una lección de santidad

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Obispo Joseph Kopacz

Por Obispo Joseph Kopacz
“Que mi gozo esté en ustedes, y su gozo sea colmado” (Jn 15, 11). Estas fueron las palabras de Jesús en el Evangelio del domingo pasado cuando él estaba preparando a sus discípulos para su radical separación de ellos en la cruz. En la misma conversación los invita a una amistad divina y los instruye, o quizá les suplica a “que se amen unos a otros como yo los he amado a ustedes” (Jn 15:12-14). Este pasaje es el camino ideal de la reciente Exhortación publicada del Papa Francisco sobre la santidad, Gaudate et Exultate. El resto de esta columna es un resumen de este regalo del Papa Francisco a la Iglesia y al mundo. El Papa Francisco despierta el Espíritu Santo dentro de cada creyente. “Con esta exhortación me gustaría insistir principalmente en la llamada a la santidad que Dios dirige a cada uno de nosotros y que también la dirige personalmente a ustedes”. (10) Nos recuerda que estamos rodeados por una gran nube de testigos (Hebreos 12:1) tanto los vivos como lo que están con el Señor en la eternidad que rezan por nosotros, y dan testimonio de todo lo que Dios puede hacer en nuestras vidas. “Me gusta contemplar la santidad presente en la paciencia del pueblo de Dios. En aquellos padres que crían a sus hijos con inmenso amor, en aquellos hombres y mujeres que trabajan duro para mantener a sus familias, en los enfermos, en los ancianos religiosos que nunca pierden su sonrisa. En su diaria perseverancia veo la santidad de la Iglesia militante. Muy a menudo es una santidad que se encuentra en nuestros vecinos, esos que viven en medio de nosotros, reflejan la presencia de Dios. Podríamos llamarlos “la clase media de la santidad” (7).
En virtud de nuestra fe y el bautismo, “todos estamos llamados a ser testigos, pero hay muchas maneras reales de dar testimonio. “El poder del Espíritu Santo les permite hacer esto, y al final la santidad es el fruto del Espíritu Santo en su vida” (14). En efecto, “cada santo es un mensaje que el Espíritu Santo toma de las riquezas de Cristo y da a su pueblo” (21).
“Esto debe excitarnos y animarnos a dar nuestro todo y abrazar ese único plan que Dios ha querido para cada uno de nosotros desde la eternidad” (13). “Antes de darte la vida, ya te había escogido; y antes de que nacieras te consagré” (Jer. 1:5). El Papa Francisco reconoce que con todo el alboroto y correderas, engaños y distracciones de nuestro mundo moderno, la santidad puede ser un camino difícil de caminar, pero nada es imposible para Dios. “No le tengas miedo a la santidad. No te quitará nada de tu energía, vitalidad y alegría. Por el contrario te convertirás en lo que el padre tenía en mente cuando te creó, y serás fiel en lo más hondo de tu ser. El depender de Dios, nos libera de toda forma de esclavitud y nos lleva a reconocer nuestra gran dignidad” (35).
Francis ve a la Iglesia y al mundo con el corazón amoroso y la mente de Jesucristo y expone las amenazas a crecer en santidad. Él habla de un nosticismo día moderno cuyos adeptos quieres que todo sea claro y controlado hasta el punto de controlar la trascendencia de Dios. “El Gnosticismo, por su propia naturaleza, trata de domesticar el misterio, sea el misterio de Dios y su gracia, o el misterio de la vida de los otros” (40-41).
Por otro lado, hay un día pelagianismo moderno que lo atribuye todo a la voluntad humana y el trabajo. Tradicionalmente, esto ha sido conocido por ser una “teología sin ayuda de otros” por el cual podemos ganar o incluso comprar nuestro camino al cielo. En oposición a este profundo error, el Papa Francisco habla de un don puro. “Su amistad trasciende infinitamente a nosotros; no la podemos comprar con nuestras obras; sólo puede ser un don nacido de su iniciativa amorosa. Esto nos invita a vivir en gozosa gratitud por este don totalmente inmerecido” (54). “Pero gracias a Dios que ha dado la victoria sobre el pecado y la muerte por medio de nuestro Señor Jesucristo” (1Cor 15:57).
Después el Papa Francisco nos abre la sabiduría de las Bienaventuranzas del Sermón del Monte. Bienaventurados los… o felices son … se convierte en un sinónimo de santo. Expresa el hecho de que aquellos que son fieles a Dios y a su palabra, por su entrega, obtienen la felicidad verdadera. A lo largo de varias páginas Francisco ofrece la sabiduría de Dios a la luz de la cruz y de la Resurrección, que a menudo es perseguida, burlada o ignorada. Los valores del mundo en cada época son una fuerte corriente contra la sabiduría de Dios, pero bienaventurados somos nosotros cuando nadamos en contra de ella por amor a Dios y a nuestros hermanos y hermanas (65-95).
El Papa Francisco también ve claramente los signos de santidad en la Iglesia y en el mundo moderno. Consideren a los que viven con perseverancia, paciencia y mansedumbre frente a la violencia del mundo, la frialdad e indiferencia. ¿Por qué? Porque “si Dios está a nuestro favor, ¿quién estará en contra de nosotros? (Romanos 8:31). Esta convicción es la fuente de paz y alegría de todos los santos y la gente santa (122). El rostro de santidad se manifiesta también en la alegría y el buen humor de muchos. Aunque totalmente realista, irradian un espíritu positivo y esperanzador. Si le permitimos al Señor que nos saque fuera de nuestro ambiente y cambie nuestras vidas, entonces podemos hacer como nos dice san Pablo: “Alégrense siempre en el Señor; repito, alégrense. (Flp 4:4) Vivir con audacia y pasión es otra característica de la santidad en nuestros tiempos, fundada en la promesa del Señor para estar con El hasta el final de los tiempos (Mt 28:20).
La audacia, el entusiasmo, la libertad de expresión, el fervor apostólico, son todos signos del Espíritu de Dios actuando, una luz en la oscuridad. ¿Con qué frecuencia el Papa Francisco dice, estamos tentados a permanecer cerca de la orilla, mientras que el Señor nos dirige a remar mar adentro? Como el profeta Jonás, estamos constantemente tentados a huir a un refugio seguro. Las personas santos y santas saben que este no es el camino de la santidad. “No teman”. La cuarta dimensión de la santidad en nuestro tiempo es saber que estamos llamados a vivir en comunidad, mínimamente donde están dos o tres reunidos en donde las personas aman los pequeños detalles de amor, ya sea la amistad, la familia, las comunidades eclesiales o el lugar de trabajo. San Juan de la Cruz le dijo a uno de sus seguidores. “Ustedes viven con otros para estar de moda y ser juzgados” (104). Las relaciones pueden ser crisoles donde el desafío de amarse el uno al otro se convierte en realidad. Como dice el poeta, “El Amor puede coronarte y crucificarte”.
Por último, está la llamada a la oración constante. “No creo en la santidad sin oración” son las sencillas palabras de nuestro Santo Padre (147). A menos que uno se siente a los pies del Señor, como lo hizo María, y “lo deje a él confortarte más y más con su amor y ternura, tú no podrás atrapar el fuego” (151).
La oración encuentra su cumplimiento definitivo en la misa donde juntos, la Palabra de Dios se convierte en “una lámpara para nuestros pasos y una luz en nuestro sendero (Salmo 119), y donde la Eucaristía, Pan de vida, es comunión con el Señor y el uno al otro, la fuerza para el camino y la promesa de la vida eterna.
Esto es sólo una idea de esta exhortación a la santidad, que es verdaderamente una luz para nuestro camino. Es una enseñanza por la cual podemos levantar nuestros corazones y nuestras mentes a Dios y a nuestro prójimo a fin de cumplir el plan de Dios para cada una de nuestras vidas. Gracias, Santo Padre Francisco. “Ven, Espíritu Santo. Llena los corazones de tus fieles”.

Holiness both ordinary, transcendent

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Bishop Joseph Kopacz

By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
“That my joy will be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15, 11)
These were the words of Jesus in last Sunday’s Gospel when he was preparing his disciples for his radical separation from them on the Cross. In the same conversation he invites them into divine friendship and instructs them – or maybe pleads with them – to “love one another as I have loved you.” 15,12-14) This passage is the ideal pathway into Pope Francis’ recently published exhortation on holiness, Gaudate et Exultate. The remainder of this column is an overview of this gift of Pope Francis to the Church and to the world.
Pope Francis awakens the Holy Spirit within each believer. “With this exhortation I would like to insist primarily on the call to holiness that the Lord addresses to each of us, that he also addresses personally to you.” (10) He reminds us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, (Hebrews 12,1) both living and with the Lord in eternity who pray for us and give witness to all that God can accomplish in our lives. “I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people. In those parents who raise their children with immense love., in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile. In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. Very often it is a holiness found in our next-door neighbors, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence. We might call them “the middle class of holiness.” (7)
By virtue of our faith and baptism we are all called to be witnesses, but there are many actual ways of bearing witness. “The power of the Holy Spirit enables you to do this and holiness in the end is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life.” (14) In fact, “every saint is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of Jesus Christ and gives to his people.” (21)
“This should excite and encourage us to give our all and to embrace that unique plan that God willed for each of us from eternity.” (13) “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you and before you were born I consecrated you.” (Jer. 1,5) Pope Francis acknowledges that with all of the din and zapping, allurements and distractions of our modern world, holiness can be a difficult road to walk but nothing is impossible with God. “Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy. On the contrary you will become what the Father had in mind when he created you and you will be faithful to your deepest self. To depend on God, sets us free from every form of enslavement and leads us to recognize our great dignity.” (35)
Pope Francis looks upon the Church and the world with the loving heart and mind of Jesus Christ and exposes the threats to growth in holiness. He speaks of a modern-day Gnosticism whose adherents want everything to be clear and controlled to the point of controlling God’s transcendence. “Gnosticism by its very nature seeks to domesticate the mystery, whether the mystery of God and his grace or the mystery of others’ lives.” (40-41)
On the other hand, there is modern day Pelagianism that attributes everything to human will and work. Traditionally, this has been known to be a “bootstrap theology” by which we can earn or even buy our way into heaven. In opposition to this profound error, Pope Francis speaks of pure gift. “His friendship infinitely transcends us; we cannot buy it with our works; it can only be a gift born of his loving initiative. This invites us to live in joyful gratitude for this completely unmerited gift.” (54) “But thanks be to God who has given the victory over sin and death through our Lord, Jesus Christ.” (1Cor 15,57)
Pope Francis then breaks open for us the wisdom of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. “Blessed are the”… or “Happy are”…becomes a synonym for holy are. It expresses the fact those faithful to God and his word, by their self-giving, gain true happiness. Over several pages Francis offers God’s wisdom in the light of the Cross and Resurrection which often is persecuted, mocked or ignored. The values of the world in every age are a strong current against the wisdom of God, but blessed are we when we swim against it out of love for God and our brothers and sisters. (65-95)
Pope Francis also sees clearly the signs of holiness in the Church and in the modern world. Consider those who live with perseverance, patience and meekness in the face of the world’s violence, coldness and indifference. Why? Because “if God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8,31) This conviction is the source of peace and joy of all the saints and holy people. (122)
The face of holiness is also seen in the joy and humor of many. Though completely realistic, they radiate a positive and hopeful spirit. If we allow the Lord to draw us out of our shell and change our lives, then we can do as Saint Paul tells us, “Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again, rejoice”. (Phil 4,4) Living with boldness and passion is yet another feature of holiness in our times, grounded in the promise of the Lord to be with until the end of time. (Mt 28,20) Boldness, enthusiasm, the freedom to speak out, apostolic fervor, are all signs of the Spirit of God at work, a light in the darkness.
How often, Pope Francis says, are we tempted to stay close to the shore, whereas the Lords directs us to set out into the deep? Like the prophet Jonah, we are constantly tempted to flee to a safe haven. The saints and saintly people know that this is not the path to holiness. “Be not afraid.” The fourth dimension of holiness in our time is to know that we are called to live in community, minimally where two or three are gathered where people cherish the little details of love, whether this is in friendship, family, Church communities or in the workplace.
Saint John of the Cross told one of his followers. “You are living with others to be fashioned and tried.” (104) Relationships can be crucibles where the challenge to love one another becomes real. As the poet says. “Love can crown you and crucify you.” Lastly, there is the call to constant prayer. “I do not believe in holiness without prayer” are the straightforward words of our Holy Father. (147) Unless one sits at the feet of the Lord, as did Mary and “let him warm you more and more with his love and tenderness, you will not catch fire.” (151)
Prayer finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Mass where together the Word of God becomes “a lamp for our steps and a light for our path. (Ps 119) and where the Eucharist, the Bread of Life is communion with the Lord and one another, strength for the journey and the pledge of eternal life.
This is only a taste of this exhortation on holiness which is truly is a light for our path. It is a teaching by which we can raise up our hearts and minds to God and to our neighbor in order to fulfill God’s plan for each of our lives. Thank you, Pope Francis. “Come, Holy Spirit. Fill the hearts of your faithful.”
The exhortation is available online at the Vatican’s website

(Editor’s note: https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html. )