Author Archives: Tereza Ma

Pastor who served in Clarksdale dies

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Father Patrick McDermott

Father Patrick McDermott of the Diocese of Biloxi died Sunday, September 17, in Ocean Springs. Father McDermott, 77, a native of Donegal, Ireland, was ordained at St. John College in Waterford on June 14, 1964. In the Diocese of Jackson he served at Clarksdale St. Elizabeth Parish. On the coast, he served as assistant pastor of Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Biloxi and St. James Parish, Gulfport. His assignments as pastor included St. James Parish, Gulfport; Our Lady of Victories Parish, Pascagoula; Sacred Heart Parish, D’Iberville and a second stint as pastor of Our Lady of Victories Parish in Pascagoula, where he served until his retirement in January 2010. In retirement, Father McDermott resided at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Biloxi. A funeral Mass will be celebrated Monday, September 25 at Our Lady of Victories Church, 503 Convent Avenue, Pascagoula, Visitation is set for noon to 3 p.m., when the Mass will start. Father McDermott will be buried in Ireland.

Sister Ann Brooks, ‘saint with a stesthescope,’ retires

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By Maureen SMith JACKSON – When Sister Ann Brooks, SNJM, finished medical school she joined a program through which she could pay back her school debt by working in a community in need of medical service. The intrepid Dr. Brooks knew she wanted to stay in the South, but had no specific place in mind, so she grabbed an atlas. “I wrote letters to the mayors of all those towns. One town answered me. That was Tutwiler, Mississippi,” said Sister Brooks. “I had never even heard of it.” In August, 34 years after she opened Tutwiler clinic, she packed up and moved to a retirement home for religious just outside Albany, New York. “One of the hardest things I ever did was leave the clinic in Tutwiler,” she said. When Sister Brooks first visited she found a shuttered clinic in need of some work. The town council offered to purchase medical equipment and she was in business. Within a year she called her friend, Sister Cora Lee, to join her. The two had worked together at a clinic in St. Petersburg, Fla. “When I came, they were surprised. There were no Catholics on the board at that time,” said Sister Brooks. “They came to realize my focus was taking care of people. I was not there to make everyone Catholic, but to take care of people and teach people how to take care of themselves,” she added. “When you look back, there weren’t many Catholics in Tallahatchie County and none in Tutwiler. It’s been a journey for people to see what these two women have done for the community without asking for anything in return. It’s been an education,” said Cindy Herring, co-director of public relations for the clinic. Both Sisters insist that the exchange has been mutual. They both speak about how they have learned as much from the people of Tutwiler as they have taught. Sister Cora Lee is still in Tutwiler serving as the clinic director. She said the mission to educate remains central and she has seen the impact. “I think the community has gotten healthier. When we started, people came in with acute situations, signs of stroke, heart attack, dehydration. We went from that over time to having patients with chronic illnesses coming in earlier,” said Sister Cora Lee. She said the staff concentrates on teaching people to manage their own health and get to the root of their problem rather than just treating symptoms.

Dr. Sister Ann Brooks (Mississippi Catholic archive photo)

“Health is more than just coming to the doctor. Health is more than just medicine. Health is a way of life,” said Sister Cora Lee. Once the two got settled, they realized the people of Tutwiler needed more services than just medical care. They put the word out to their community, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, for a community organizer or social worker. Sister Maureen Delaney answered the call and opened an office in the back of the clinic in 1987. Her goal was to listen to the community and help them answer their own needs. Her mission grew so much it spun off into a separate entity, the Tutwiler Community Education Center. The Center relocated to a building in the tiny downtown of the tiny Delta town and continued to grow. Today, TCEC continues to offer senior programs, a summer program, teen mentoring, music lessons, the now-famous quilting group and more. Sister Delaney took on another ministry in 2015, but a lay staff continues to operate the center. Seeing TCEC thrive – one of the signs of improved overall community health – is one of Sister Brooks’ great joys. “I think Dr. Brooks would have liked to have worked herself out of a job. To have people take care of themselves, she would love that,” said Sister Cora Lee. The clinic had a brief moment of fame in 1990 when the CBS broadcast magazine 60 minutes featured the work being done there. A reporter returned in 2012, calling Sister Brooks “a saint with a stethoscope.” Sister Brooks celebrated 60 years of religious life earlier this year with Mass and a reception at Clarksdale Immaculae Conception Parish. She broke her elbow in 2016 and remains in a brace. That, coupled with the demands of running the clinic – where the staff saw more than 8,500 patients one year, started weighing on her. She and the staff started looking for someone to take over. Tallahatchie General Hospital was looking to expand its community presence and a partnership was born. “When they came to visit, they got excited so I started to get excited,” said Sister Brooks. The hospital took over operations in 2016, retaining the staff, but upgrading the computers and equipment. “The partnership is one of the reasons Dr. Brooks felt comfortable retiring,” said Herring. “She was convinced the mission could continue since the mission of the hospital and the mission of the clinic were already very close,” Herring added. The clinic works with patients on the cost of their care, helping them find coverage, using a sliding scale and taking donations to offset costs. Sister Brooks is trying to stay active, she said she is writing a history of the clinic, praying for her friends and reflecting on the blessings of decades of service. “What’s important is I was able to care for patients – and what a privilege that was.”

Inmigrantes centroamericanos ayudan con la recuperación del terremoto en México

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Por Davi Dagren

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO (CNS) – Los migrantes centroamericanos que viajan por México permanecen rutinariamente en un albergue católico en el Istmo de Tehuantepec. Pero los huéspedes del refugio de los Hermanos del Camino han estado lanzando con esfuerzos de socorro desde que un terremoto de magnitud 8.1 sacudió la región el 7 de septiembre. “Como defensores de los derechos humanos, pedimos a la gente que entienda y ayude a nuestros migrantes”, dijo el hermano de Crosier, José Filiberto Velásquez Florencio, coordinador del refugio, en la publicación de la Arquidiócesis de México, Desde la Fe. “Ahora están devolviendo este apoyo al pueblo mexicano, al istmo, a toda la gente que necesita su ayuda”. El terremoto ocurrió poco antes de la medianoche el 7 de septiembre con un epicentro en la costa del estado de Chiapas. Esto causó que los edificios se movieran en la lejana Ciudad de México, pero no causaron grandes daños allí. Sin embargo, destruyó casas y edificios en los estados del sur de Oaxaca y Chiapas y tomó las vidas de 96 personas. Las divisiones de Caritas organizaron colecciones en todo México para ayudar a las personas sin hogar en los estados del sur del país. El terremoto dañó aproximadamente el 80 por ciento de los hogares en Juchitán, un municipio adyacente a Ciudad Ixtepec, donde se encuentra el refugio de los Hermanos del Camino, según el gobierno del estado de Oaxaca. Los huéspedes del refugio han formado equipos, mostrados en fotos publicadas en Facebook, viajando a ciudades de toda la región y ayudando a las familias a recuperar objetos de los escombros de sus casas, como artículos de cocina, artículos electrónicos y recuerdos. “Hemos recibido mucho apoyo de la gente, así que queremos ayudarles,” Wilson Alonso, un emigrante de Honduras, le dijo al periódico español, El País. “Estamos eliminando todo lo que está creando un bloqueo y ayu
dando a la gente a rescatar cosas de sus hogares.” El refugio de los Hermanos del Camino no ha tenido un tiempo fácil en su misión de servir a los migrantes que llegan encima de un tren conocido como “La Bestia” por la forma en que mutila a los que caen bajo sus ruedas. El fundador del refugio, el padre Alejandro Solalinde, fue forzado al exilio por un período después de recibir amenazas de bandas de delincuencias organizadas, que secuestra a migrantes y se enfrentó a la perse
cución de políticos de la zona que estaban descontentos con su trabajo. Los daños en la zona son tan graves que las fotos de la prensa mostraron al Obispo Oscar Campos Contreras de Tehuantepec celebrando misa fuera de las oficinas diocesanas debido a que todas las iglesias de la zona sufrieron daños. Las iglesias en Chiapas también fueron dañadas. La caída de los escombros destruyó el órgano de la catedral de San Cristóbal de Las Casas.

Obispo soporta el Centro de Apoyo al Migrante

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(Nota del editor: El Obispo Joseph Kopacz utilizó los desarrollos de DACA para llamar la atención sobre el Centro de Apoyo al Migrante de las Caridades Católicas. El siguiente es un extracto de una carta enviada junta con algunos casos describiendo el trabajo del centro.) El Centro de Apoyo para Migrantes brinda servicios críticos a los inmigrantes que tienen necesidades urgentes. Ahora más que nunca, esta población requiere nuestros servicios. Algunos inmigrantes no conocen sus derechos, y nuestros abogados trabajan incansablemente para defender sus causas ante las cortes, al mismo tiempo que proporcionan programas de educación e información. Cuando un gran número de niños inmigrantes no acompañados de Guatemala, Honduras y El Salvador, buscaron refugio en los Estados Unidos en el 2013, el Papa Francisco dijo: “Esta emergencia humanitaria requiere que estos niños sean protegidos”. En el Centro de Apoyo al Migrante, tomamos esta evocación en serio. Estos niños no acompañados son nuestros clientes más vulnerables, ya que muchos han sufrido daños y se embarcaron en el viaje peligroso de sus países a los Estados Unidos. La ley de inmigración provee ciertos remedios legales a los niños que están huyendo de la persecución, o han sido abusados o abandonados por sus padres. Pero la aplicación de estos remedios es complicada. Los niños que son incapaces de pagar asistencia legal tienen que enfrentar estos procedimientos solos, lo que significa un retorno casi seguro a los peligros de los que huyeron.
En Mississippi, pocos recursos legales existen para los niños que no pueden pagar. Por lo tanto, el Centro de Apoyo está trabajando para asegurar que todos los niños no acompañados tengan representación de inmigración pro bono, ayudándoles a crear vidas nuevas. Tal es el caso de Julio, adolescente guatemalteco que huyó de su país como menor desacompañado después de que el alcalde de su ciudad lo reclutara a la fuerza para tomar las armas contra una compañía minera extranjera, incorporada por el gobierno guatemalteco para excavar tierras tradicionalmente indígenas (como la de Julio). Durante una escaramuza, un minero cortó el brazo de Julio con un machete, dejándolo físicamente y emocionalmente marcado. Julio no pudo pedir ayuda del gobierno guatemalteco, ya que las tropas federales prestaron apoyo a las compañías mineras. Con la ayuda del Centro de Apoyo y de nuestros socios de Mississippi College, Julio ahora tiene asilo y está disfrutando su libertad en los Estados Unidos. El Centro de Apoyo también representó a cuatro hermanos hondureños, los García, que huyeron de Honduras después de sufrir abusos físicos, emocionales y sexuales y luego fueron abandonados por su padre. Los abogados del Centro de Apoyo representaron a los niños en la corte y aseguraron el estado juvenil especial de inmigrantes y la residencia permanente legal para los niños basado en el trauma que sufrieron. Los niños están asistiendo a la escuela, aprendiendo inglés y recibiendo servicios de consejería en su nuevo hogar.

Reconstrucción: una obra de fe, esperanza

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Por obisPo JosePh KoPacz Construir y reconstruir son tareas tan esenciales para nosotros en nuestra vida diaria y especialmente para nosotros, como cristianos, que trabajamos para promover el reino de Dios en nuestro mundo, un reino de verdad y de amor, un reino de santidad y de gracia, un reino de justicia, amor y paz. Para muchas personas al terminarse el don del tiempo extendido el fin de semana del Día del Trabajo nos encontramos de nuevo en el ritmo de nuestra vida diaria, y listos o no, ansiosos o resistentes, la vida tiene una manera de tirarnos y de empujarnos. Qué creativo es el concepto de que un fin de semana largo a finales del verano, abierto al ocio y a la necesidad de equilibrio en nuestras vidas, nos da una pausa para reflexionar sobre la dignidad del trabajo en todas sus manifestaciones, la obra de nuestras manos, mente, corazón y espíritu. La fundación de la Palabra de Dios es la obra de la creación, (seis días) equilibrado por descanso del sábado (un día). La interacción entre el trabajo y el descanso en Dios produce mucho fruto al cumplir nuestra dignidad y destino como imago Dei. El salmo 90, v. 17 pide a Dios que bendiga la obra de nuestras manos para que podamos efectivamente preservar el orden correcto de las cosas y, además, la obra de la creación. El trabajo es bueno, y extractos del siguiente poema “Ser de uso” por Marge Piercy capta la sabiduría de las edades iniciado en Dios.
“La gente que más amo salta al trabajo de cabeza primero sin perder tiempo en la superficialidad….Me encanta la gente que utilizan, un buey a un pesado carro, que tira como el búfalo de agua con enorme paciencia, que se esfuerza en el barro y la porquería para hacer avanzar las cosas, quién hace lo que tiene que hacerse, una y otra vez…quiero estar con la gente que se sumerge en la tarea, que van a los campos para la recolección de la cosecha y trabajan en una fila y pasan las bolsas…El trabajo del mundo es común como el barro, chapuza, mancha las manos, se desmorona en polvo. Pero la cosa que vale la pena hacer bien hecha tiene una forma que satisface, limpia y evidente… El cántaro clama por agua
para llevar, y una persona por trabajo que es real.” Uno puede sentir la energía en este notable poema, y visualizar la decidida actividad de la que habla. Podemos ampliar estas imágenes en cada rincón de nuestras vidas, y fácilmente en la reconstrucción que se está llevando a cabo en Houston y Beaumont y en muchas comunidades en el sureste de Texas después del huracán Harvey. Este trabajo de recuperación continuará durante años y muchos trabajarán, de cerca y de lejos, vecinos y amigos, extranjeros e inmigrantes. Lo que lleva años para construirse puede ser derribado en momentos por el poder destructivo de la naturaleza, o las malas intenciones de la gente. La noche llegó y la mañana continuó y así reconstruimos porque hay un poder superior, y la fe, la esperanza y el amor prevalecerán. Para comprender esto mientras avanzamos en las interminables tareas que tenemos ante nosotros en nuestros hogares, escuelas y lugares de trabajo, es un regalo que nos motiva, especialmente en esos días que preferiríamos quedarnos en la cama. Este día, el 20º aniversario de la muerte de la Madre Teresa, nos recuerda la bondad, la belleza y la verdad de su vida, y la perspectiva fundamental de su fiel espíritu, es decir, “hacer de nuestra vida algo hermoso por Dios”. Su perdurable legado encarna la sabiduría que encontramos en el evangelio de Juan “el primer trabajo es tener fe en el que Dios envió, recordándonos como discípulos que el trabajo de la creación encuentra su realización en el plan de salvación de Dios en Jesucristo. El don de la fe, del tamaño de una semilla de mostaza, puede mover montañas. (Lucas 17,6) Consideren el amanecer de la Madre Teresa, alterado a mediados de su vida de fe dedicada a los indigentes y abandonados. Ella pasó la antorcha al educar a los jóvenes y privilegiado de clase media y alta de la India y caminó hacia el infierno de Calcuta donde muchas personas habían perdido la esperanza y movido montañas. ¡Qué semilla de mostaza! Esta ruta increíble de fe, esperanza y amor no es el derecho de nacimiento de unos pocos elegidos, sino la llamada del Señor en cada una de nuestras vidas. “Porque somos su obra, creados en Cristo Jesús para las buenas obras que Dios ha preparado de antemano, que deberíamos vivir en ellas.” (Efesios 2:10) Qué el Señor suscite en cada uno de nosotros una maravillosa armonía de fe y trabajo, de modo que podamos hacer de nuestras vidas algo hermoso desarrollando nuestros talentos, sirviendo a otros y dando a Dios la gloria.

The shepherd who didn’t run: Father Stanley Rother priest and martyr

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BY BISHOP JOSEPH KOPACZ In 2003 I was privileged to travel to El Salvador and Guatemala to the shrines of the martyrs with the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers who had served in Central America in the preceding decades. The home base for our two-week pilgrimage was the Maryknoll Retreat Center in Guatemala City from where we traveled to the mountainous regions of that nation, as well as across the border to El Salvador. This weekend I am attending the beatification of Father Stanley Rother, one of those martyrs, a priest from Oklahoma City who laid down his life for his friends, the Tz’utujil, the indigenous people of the Lake Atitlan region in the mountains of Guatemala. Following the Second Vatican Council Pope Paul VI called for greater solidarity in the Catholic Church of the Western Hemisphere, and encouraged the Church in North America to journey in faith with their brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ in Central and South America. Soon after, as we know so well, the Diocese of Natchez-Jackson began its mission in Saltillo, Mexico, while
the Diocese of Oklahoma City was adopting the region of Lake Atitlan in the Diocese of Solola, Guatemala. Father Stanley Rother became part of the mission of his diocese in 1968, and immersed himself in the lives of the Tz’utujil people until his martyrdom in 1981. Like the Curé of Ars, Father Rother had struggled mightily with his academic studies in seminary formation, and was dismissed after First Theology. But he did not waver in his desire to the serve the Lord as a priest, and with the support of his bishop, he was given a second chance at Mount Saint Mary’s in Emmetsburg, Md. With the successful completion of his studies he was ordained a priest in 1963. While serving in rural Oklahoma in his fifth year of priesthood, he accepted the invitation to go to the margins as a missionary disciple to the diocesan mission in Guatemala. It was not an easy transition because he did not speak Spanish, let alone the dialect of the indigenous Tz’utujil. However, one dimension of life that he did know intimately was hard work and perseverance in the face of adversity. Grinding away, one day to the next, in a few years he learned Spanish, and even more incredibly, mastered the Tz’utujil dialect, proceeding to translate the liturgical texts for the Sacraments of the Eucharist, Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage, along with the New Testament into the language of his beloved
people. The love of Jesus Christ burning in his heart moved mountains. But even before learning how to communicate with words, Father Rother’s actions spoke volumes. He worked the land with his people as only an experienced farmer from Oklahoma could, teaching them, when appropriate, more effective farming techniques that yielded a richer harvest. Father Rother’s people loved him. Their language had no equivalent for the name Stanley, so they called him by his middle name of Francis, which in Tz’utujil became Padre A’Plas. They certainly did not think of God as a mystery that they themselves could master on their own terms. They looked at this man and others like him as visible channels of God’s presence, God’s compassion, God’s mercy. The indigenous people of that region had not known a priest for over a century, but with this good shepherd and others, they found a home in the Catholic Church.

Silver Rose Pilgrimage

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OXFORD – St. John the Evangelist Knights of Columbus Council 10901 participated in the international devotional to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of North America, on September 7th at the Knights of Columbus meeting Room at St. John. At the conclusion of the Devotional, a Silver Rose was carefully packed in its travel box for it’s journey to the next Knights jurisdiction. This year, the Silver Rose was received from the Batesville Council and was carried to the Meridian Council by James Reid, the Coordinator for this year’s devotional.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Silver Rose Pilgrimage has been a tradition for 57 years and was started by a youth group associated with the Knights called the Columbian Squires in 1960. Six Silver Roses travel different corridors in the Western, Central and Eastern portions of North America, with Knights hand-carrying each in specially constructed boxes. Two of the six roses will end their journey at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Monterrey, Mexico, on December 12th, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Photo by Gene Buglewicz)

Parish calendar of events

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PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS

COLUMBUS Fall into Art, Trotter Convention Center, Friday, October 27 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased for $30 at Annunciation School office or $35 at the door. Auction items can be art pieces, giftcertifi cates, donations from a retail store, etc. to donate, please deliver to the school by October 25. Details: contact Katie Fenstermacher at acsmarketing@cableone.net.

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Women’s Resource Center banquet, Tuesday, October 10, at 6 p.m. in the Parish Center. Details: church office (662) 8466273.

GRENADA St. Peter, altar society is selling Advent wreaths which include a 12½” brass holder, green wreath and candles for $20. The money will be used to purchase a new base and Advent wreath for the church Deadline for orders is October 1. Details: Jerome Boudreaux (662) 809-4974 or Irene Stark (662) 417-0968. St. Peter, Adult Faith Formation Retreat, October 13-14, Friday, 6-9 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m., concluding with Mass at 6 p.m. Presenters: Anne, the lay apostle, and Father Darragh Connolly, Registration is $40. All adults are invited. Details: Annette Tipton (985) 518-5674

JACKSON Christ the King, Father Lawrence Watts Council 199 – Knights of Peter Claver will hold their Annual Fish Fry, Friday, September 29, 4-8 p.m. Plates are $10 and include choice of catfish fillets or pan trout, 2 sides, dessert and drink. Details: church office (601) 948-8867 or see any council member. Holy Family Parish Anniversary, September 29-30 and October 1, celebrating 60 years of worship, praise and joyful events. Banquet on Friday night at 7:00 p.m., a family outing on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and Sunday Mass with Bishop Kopacz at 10 a.m. All former parishioners, priests and sister churches are invited to join. Details: contact Father Xavier at 601362-1888 or xavieramirtham@gmail.com . St. Richard Parish, Evening with Mary, Tuesday, October 10, 6-8 p.m. This year’s reflection will be on “Our Lady of Guadalupe – patroness of the Americas.” Women of St. Richard come together for prayer, reflection and to share a dessert in a Marian atmosphere. Presenters: Suzan Cox, Josephine Garcia and Sandra Flores. Cost: There is no fee, but reservations are required. Details: Suzan Cox at cox@saintrichard.com or (601) 3662335.

MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, “A Taste of St. Francis” annual multi-cultural event, Sunday, October 1, in the Family Life Center after 10:30 a.m. Mass. Details: church office (601) 856-5556 or Amy Horback (601) 953-4182 to volunteer with food or any other area.

NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, St. Mary Book Club, first and third Tuesdays at 6 p.m. (next date is Tuesday, October 3) in the O’Connor Family Life Center. “Aquinas for Armchair Theologians” by Timothy Resnick. Details: church office (601) 445-4616.

SOUTHAVEN Christ the King, National Prayer Event, Let’s Life Chain America, Sunday, October 1, 2-3 p.m. It is a silent prayer vigil to communicate opposition to abortion. Details: Barbara Dean (901) 486-6470 or MaryAnn (662) 429-7851 or (662) 429-0501.

YAZOO CITY St. Mary, Annual craft, flea market, garage sale in the gym, Saturday, October 7, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. A small donation is encouraged to reserve a space. Profit from your items is yours to keep. This is a fundraiser for the Religious Education Program. Details: call Diane Melton (662) 746-1680 if you have items you wish to donate.

YOUTH BRIEFS COLUMBUS

2nd Annual Friends of the Poor 5K Walk/Run sponsored by Annunciation School at the Boat Ramp Pavilion on the right of Wilkins Wise Rd, Saturday, September 30. Raising money for the St. Vincent de Paul. Details: https://www.fopwalk.org/ eventlisting/eventdetail/?eventid=1765 to register.

MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, Youth volunteers (7-12
grades) are needed to lead children’s games at “A Taste of St. Francis” on Sunday, October 1. Sign up to help at WOW! or on Sunday nights. Details: church office (601) 856-5556 or Amy Horback (601) 953-4182. St. Anthony School, 9th annual Starry Night Gala, Saturday, December 9, 7-11 p.m., with a VIP cocktail hour and auction preview from 6-7 p.m. Live music, live and silent auctions, raffles, food by the Knights of Columbus and area restaurants. The attire will be cocktail, festive Christmas with a holiday atmosphere. Details: Jennifer Schmidt, (601) 214-9656 or Jenniferschmidt819@ yahoo.com

NATCHEZ Cathedral School, Fall Festival Used Book Sale, September 30 – October 1. Drop off donations of books, VHS tapes or DVDs at the cafeteria stage. Details: Sissy Dicks (601) 334-0784.

SOCIAL JUSTICE WORKSHOPS

Catholic Charities Office of Social Justice is offering half-day workshops on Faith in Action in the Diocese of Jackson. All workshops are from 8:30 -11:30 a.m. Deanery 2 St. Alphonsus, McComb, November 4 Deanery 3 St. Francis of Assisi, Greenwood, October 14 Deanery 4 St. Elizabeth, Clarksdale September, 23 Deanery 5 St. Helen, Amory October, 28 Deanery 6 Sacred Heart, Louisville September, 30 Details: Sue Allen at 601-383-3849 or sue.allen@ catholiccharitiesjackson.org

St. Gabriel Mercy Center celebrates finalist status

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By Maureen Smith

MOUND BAYOU – The staff and clients at St. Gabriel Mercy center were honored to be ranked among the finalists for the Lumen Christi Award. This year, the organization recognized eight ministries across the country for their work in bringing Christ to the margins. Extension wrote brief profiles online of the finalists and offered longer features in its fall magazine. They include the winner, Father Enrique Herrera, a pastor in California working to send the immigrant children in his care to college, a military chaplain helping heal the wounds of war, two pastors working with Native American populations, women religious bringing the gospel to their dioceses and lay leaders welcoming a booming Hispanic population in their communities. The St. Gabriel Center was in the middle of this amazing group of evangelizers and pastors. The Sisters of Mercy opened the center. It is now run by a community of Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity and a staff of local lay people. Education is at the center of the work there. Teenagers and young adults attend GED classes, adults learn how to sew and sell their creations, and the Parents as Teachers program demonstrates how to become better advocates and caregivers. The senior program offers a meal, exercise and activities. On a Thursday morning in August, the center was packed. Every program was in session, including a birthday party for the seniors. “It’s always busy,” said Mavis Honorable, COO. “We just prayed that God’s will be done,” said Sister Monica Mary DeQuardo, executive director of the center, when she found out they were among the finalists. She was delighted that the work of her predecessors and present staff caught the attention of Bishop Joseph Kopcaz and Catholic Extension. She and the staff released a joint statement about this year’s winner. “We acknowledge the contributing and outstanding efforts of Father Enrique Herrera in his Faith Community of Holy Trinity Church in the Salinas Valley of the Diocese of Monterey, Calif. There is no doubt that Father Enrique is a very pivotal person – as pastor – in the continuing education and Catholic social outreach for the many Hispanic people of his parish as well as the civic community of Greenfield and surrounding areas where the Catholic Church is growing immensely and rapidly,” it read. Sister DeQuardo and Sister Emy Beth Furrer have served at the center for the past two years. Much of the lay staff, including Honorable, Trena Robinson, development director, are natives of Mound Bayou and proud of their Delta town. It remains the oldest all-black community in the United States. It was founded by freed slaves and boasted a booming local economy, healthcare and a train station in days past. Today, much of the industry has left, and with it, much of the population. In recent years, groups have started working to preserve the heritage in this town. Honorable takes visitors on a tour, showing them the elegant founder’s houses, which are under renovation with hopes of becoming bed-andbreakfast destinations; and a modern medical complex where residents can get a low-cost ride to visit a doctor or dentist. Honorable said when she was younger, the complex was a collection of trailers. Peter Wood and his brothers still operate Peter’s Pottery just across a field from the center, drawing collectors from across the Southeast to the heart of the Delta. St. Gabriel is also expanding. Youth volunteers from Biloxi and Hattiesburg have transformed the old church building into classroom spaces. Sister DeQuardo hopes to expand adult education into those rooms. “Many of our parents can’t help their kids in school, because they are lacking in education,” said Sister DeQuardo. The project was moving along nicely, but stalled this summer. “We need a new roof,” she explained. Heavy summer rains revealed a leak in the newly renovated building. Honorable is in the process of getting bids to replace it. Then, the staff will turn to the task of raising the money. Sister DeQuardo said they also need a van to pick up their seniors. And furniture for the classrooms would be nice. There may be a long list of needs, but the staff is undaunted. They tackle their challenges one at a time. It’s the same way they serve their clients, as individuals with dignity and potential.

MOUND BAYOU – Bobbie Dulaney, center, coordinates the sewing progam for the St. Gabriel Center. On August 15, she works with two of her clients. (Photo by Maureen Smith)

California pastor of immigrant parish honored with Lumen Christi Award

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CHICAGO (CNS) Today, Greenfield in California’s Salinas Valley looks and feels different because Father Enrique Herrera believed that the Catholic Church could make life better for the city’s residents, according to Chicago-based Catholic Extension.

Father Enrique Herrera, pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Greenfield, Calif., is the winner of the 40th annual Lumen Christi Award of the Catholic Extension Society. He is pictured in a late June photo. (CNS photo/courtesy Catholic Extension Society)

For his efforts in the Catholic community and the wider community, Catholic Extension has chosen Father Herrera to receive the 2017-2018 Lumen Christi Award, its highest honor. The priest, who is pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Greenfield in the Diocese of Monterrey, will be officially presented with the award during a Mass at his parish Dec. 10. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the award. When Father Herrera arrived at Holy Trinity Parish and saw that parishioners were struggling to feed their families and had few opportunities for a brighter future, he decided that his parish would become a beacon of hope. Together with his parishioners, he started new programs focused on strengthening faith, education and community. “Hearts were opened. Individuals started changing. Families started changing. Neighborhoods started changing. Classrooms started changing. The Police Department, Fire Department, school officials, City Council and mayor all got on board,” Extension said in announcing the award.
“The Lumen Christi Award shines brightly to honor and give recognition to people who are great missionaries in our country,” said Father Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension. “Father Herrera is a great example. He has stood up as a shepherd for his flock and raised them up. He is a ‘voice for the voiceless,’ but he is also helping people to fi nd their own voice, helping them to aspire and to dream. He is a true missionary.” Catholic Extension’s selection of Father Herrera and his bustling parish of immigrant parishioners also shines a light on a seismic shift that has occurred in the Catholic Church over the past 25 years. A new study released by the Public Religion Research Institute documented what America magazine
called the “shift from a predominantly white church clustered in the Northeast and Midwest to a church influenced by Latin American immigration and located in the South and West.” Before Father Herrera was born, his parents had worked in the Salinas Valley. After his birth in Mexico he is the third of seven children his father continued to travel there regularly as a migrant worker to support the family. Enduring his father’s long absences, he developed a soft spot for the plight of migrants. By age 10, Father Herrera felt the tug toward priesthood. Wanting to be “a voice for the voiceless,” he entered the seminary in Guadalajara, Mexico, after high school. When his family immigrated to the Salinas Valley, he caught the attention of the bishop of Monterey, who asked him to join the diocese. Ever since, he has served the poor in several parishes, working primarily with immigrants. “I have come full circle,” he said in a statement. “As the son of immigrants, I am now able to serve immigrants in the same location.” As pastor of Holy Trinity, Father Herrera shepherds
the only Catholic church in Greenfield. Catholic Extension helped build the church in 1934. A city of 16,000, Greenfield is in the heart of the Salinas Valley. It is comprised mainly of immigrants who come to harvest lettuce, broccoli, grapes and strawberries. Half of the city’s population is under age 21. The average income there is almost 40 percent below the national poverty level. Father Herrera is particularly focused on the youth of the parish. Most of their parents, 90 percent of whom are farmworkers in nearby fields. Their work schedules keep them away from home. This past May, 446 children received their first Communion. Father Herrera also has ramped up the number of teenagers being confirmed. Hundreds are in the confirmation program each year, and he encourages them to be leaders. The teens become his core group of volunteers because they have the “energy, wisdom and understanding” to guide others, he said. With Catholic Extension’s help, this summer the parish started a new summer camp for children. The program includes lessons on faith and on science. For adults, Father Herrera tries to work around their long work schedules. When agricultural fields are dormant, he holds daily Bible classes that attract more than 400. The parish has six Masses each weekend, including four in Spanish. Between liturgies, baptisms and quinceaneras, about 4,000 people come to church each weekend.
Father Herrera believes that the Catholic Church has a role in addressing human needs alongside the spiritual ones. He knows that his parishioners confront pervasive poverty and complex problems, and he wants to “bring the Catholic faith to the streets.” “We need to put the Catholic Church in the social arena, so it not only helps people grow in their faith but also to grow as members of a community,” he explained. The parish has a food bank, English classes, immigration assistance, nutrition and parenting classes. Every year during spring break, 300 high school students attend anti-bullying and anti-violence classes. The priest has established soccer and basketball leagues to keep young people engaged during their free time. “Father Herrera advocates for our community to ensure that we get what we need spiritually as well as physically, emotionally, intellectually and in other aspects that are needed for a balanced life,” said Greenfield Mayor Jesus Olvera Garcia, who is a Holy Trinity parishioner. “Holy Trinity Catholic Church has the doors open to welcome everyone to be part of their events and services.” Father Herrera’s dream is that all his young parishioners will attend college, so the parish holds fundraisers to provide college scholarships and connects students to other resources and scholarships. Catholic Extension, the Chicago-based papal society devoted to building churches and the Catholic Church in America’s poorest places, has supported the Diocese of Jackson for many decades.