Author Archives: Tereza Ma

Charities tournament benefits

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JACKSON – Catholic Charities hosted its annual Charity Tennis Tournament March 30-April 7 at River Hills Club. One unique feature of this event is Kid’s Day, held this year on Wednesday, April 5.

The day began early when 55 students from Rowan Middle School arrived at River Hills. They were all wearing matching Kids Day t-shirts made for the event. USTA officials gave the students an overview of the game of tennis. They were then joined by students from the Brinkley Junior High tennis team.

The interesting thing about the Brinkley group is that they are part of a newly formed team made up of members who were introduced to tennis for the first time at this very kids day event during the past two years.

Soon after instuction, all the students watched as the ladies on the pro-circuit competed. They then moved to an hour of on-court instruction provided by both pro circuit players and local tennis pros. From there the enjoyed lunch at the club while hearing from a local speaker.

The tournament consists of pro-am play as well as Catholic Charities events, dinners and luncheons every day. Money from this tournaments goes to children’s programs at Charities. This year’s winner was Barbara Haas from Austria.

Bishop Joseph Kopacz congratulates the singles winner, Barbara Haas from Austria. (Photos submitted by Julie O’Brien)

Risen Christ calls all to follow him on path to life, pope says

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By Cindy Wooden and Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Jesus is the risen shepherd who takes upon his shoulders “our brothers and sisters crushed by evil in all its varied forms,” Pope Francis said before giving his solemn Easter blessing.

With tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square April 16, the pope called on Christians to be instruments of Christ’s outreach to refugees and migrants, victims of war and exploitation, famine and loneliness.

For the 30th year in a row, Dutch farmers and florists blanketed the area around the altar with grass and 35,000 flowers and plants: lilies, roses, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, birch and linden.

Preaching without a prepared text, Pope Francis began — as he did the night before at the Easter Vigil — imagining the disciples desolate because “the one they loved so much was executed. He died.”

While they are huddling in fear, the angel tells them, “He is risen.” And, the pope said, the church continues to proclaim that message always and everywhere, including to those whose lives are truly, unfairly difficult.

“It is the mystery of the cornerstone that was discarded, but has become the foundation of our existence,” he said. And those who follow Jesus, “we pebbles,” find meaning even in the midst of suffering because of sure hope in the resurrection.

Pope Francis suggested everyone find a quiet place on Easter to reflect on their problems and the problems of the world and then tell God, “I don’t know how this will end, but I know Christ has risen.”

Almost immediately after the homily, a brief but intense rain began to fall on the crowd, leading people to scramble to find umbrellas, jackets or plastic bags to keep themselves dry.

After celebrating the morning Easter Mass, Pope Francis gave his blessing “urbi et orbi,” to the city of Rome and the world.

Before reciting the blessing, he told the crowd that “in every age the risen shepherd tirelessly seeks us, his brothers and sisters, wandering in the deserts of this world. With the marks of the passion — the wounds of his merciful love — he draws us to follow him on his way, the way of life.”

Christ seeks out all those in need, he said. “He comes to meet them through our brothers and sisters who treat them with respect and kindness and help them to hear his voice, an unforgettable voice, a voice calling them back to friendship with God.”

Pope Francis mentioned a long list of those for whom the Lord gives special attention, including victims of human trafficking, abused children, victims of terrorism and people forced to flee their homes because of war, famine and poverty.

“In the complex and often dramatic situations of today’s world, may the risen Lord guide the steps of all those who work for justice and peace,” Pope Francis said. “May he grant the leaders of nations the courage they need to prevent the spread of conflicts and to put a halt to the arms trade.”

The pope also offered special prayers for peace in Syria, South Sudan, Somalia, Congo and Ukraine, and for a peaceful resolution of political tensions in Latin America.

The pope’s celebration of Easter got underway the night before in a packed St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Easter Vigil began with the lighting of the fire and Easter candle in the atrium of the basilica. Walking behind the Easter candle and carrying a candle of his own, Pope Francis entered the basilica in darkness.

The basilica was gently illuminated only by candlelight and the low light emanating from cellphones capturing the solemn procession.

The bells of St. Peter’s pealed in the night, the sound echoing through nearby Roman streets, announcing the joy of the Resurrection.

During the vigil, Pope Francis baptized 11 people: five women and six men from Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, the United States, Albania, Malta, Malaysia and China.

One by one, the catechumens approached the pope who asked them if they wished to receive baptism. After responding, “Yes, I do,” they lowered their heads as the pope poured water over their foreheads.

Among them was Ali Acacius Damavandy from the United States who smiled brightly as the baptismal waters streamed down his head.

In his homily, reflecting on the Easter account from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the pope recalled the women who went “with uncertain and weary steps” to Christ’s tomb.

The pope said the faces of those women, full of sorrow and despair, reflect the faces of mothers, grandmothers, children and young people who carry the “burden of injustice and brutality.”

The poor and the exploited, the lonely and the abandoned, and “immigrants deprived of country, house and family” suffer the heartbreak reflected on the faces of the women at the tomb who have seen “human dignity crucified,” he said.

However, the pope added, in the silence of death, Jesus’ heartbeat resounds and his resurrection comes as a gift and as “a transforming force” to a humanity broken by greed and war.

“In the Resurrection, Christ rolled back the stone of the tomb, but he wants also to break down all the walls that keep us locked in our sterile pessimism, in our carefully constructed ivory towers that isolate us from life, in our compulsive need for security and in boundless ambition that can make us compromise the dignity of others,” he said.

Pope Francis called on Christians to follow the example of the woman who, upon learning of Christ’s victory over death, ran to the city and proclaimed the good news in those places “where death seems the only way out.”

Presiding over the Stations of the Cross Good Friday, April 14, at Rome’s Colosseum, Pope Francis offered a prayer expressing both shame for the sins of humanity and hope in God’s mercy.

A crowd of about 20,000 people joined the pope at the Rome landmark. They had passed through two security checks and were watched over by a heavy police presence given recent terrorist attacks in Europe.

At the end of the service, Pope Francis recited a prayer to Jesus that he had composed. “Oh Christ, our only savior, we turn to you again this year with eyes lowered in shame and with hearts full of hope.”

The shame comes from all the “devastation, destruction and shipwrecks that have become normal in our lives,” he said, hours after some 2,000 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. The shame comes from wars, discrimination and the failure to denounce injustice.

Turning to the sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis expressed “shame for all the times we bishops, priests, consecrated men and women have scandalized and injured your body, the church.”

But the pope also prayed that Christians would be filled with the hope that comes from knowing that “you do not treat us according to our merits, but only according to the abundance of your mercy.”

Christian hope, he said, means trusting that Jesus’ cross can “transform our hardened hearts into hearts of flesh capable of dreaming, forgiving and loving.”

Pope Francis carries a candle as he arrives to celebrate the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 15. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See POPE-EASTER-ROUNDUP April 16, 2017.

Three priests plan anniversary celebrations

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By Maureen Smith

JACKSON – Three priests will celebrate significant anniversaries in the Diocese of Jackson this year. Father Alfred Camp marks 60 years of the priesthood while Fathers Brian Kaskie and Panneer Arockiam will each celebrate their 25th anniversary.

VICKSBURG – Father Camp, left, with Father P.J. Curley in December 2016 when the school named the entrance after Father Camp. (file photo)

Father Camp spent more than four decades in education, some as discipline director at his seminary and another 23 at Vicksburg St. Aloysius School. “I remember one day Sister Virginia called me into her office and said she was leaving and asked if I would finish out the school year (as principal). I thought, ‘well, there’s only six months left,’ so I said yes. I ended up staying on as principal for 18 years,” he joked.

Father Camp also served Clarksdale at St. Elizabeth and Natchez at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. He lives at Madison St. Francis of Assisi where he says the pastor, Father Albeenreddy Vatti, pastor, and Father Jason Johnston, associate pastor, take good care of him. “I have enjoyed every bit of it. It has been such a privilege to be a priest,” he said of his years in service.

Father Camp will mark his 60th anniversary of ordination with a Mass and luncheon at St. Francis on Thursday, May 25. The celebration starts at 11 a.m. and all are welcome.

Father Paneer

Father Panneer Arockiam came to Yazoo City St. Mary Parish from India. He said he was very happy to come to America to be a pastor and has felt very welcomed here. Father Panneer started his vocational journey at the age of 13 when he was selected to participate in a vocational camp with other young men. “I was motivated by my parish priest as an altar server. We did so well as servers we were selected for camp,” he said.

The bishop in his home diocese was a visionary who believed in education so between his studies in philosophy and theology, Father Paneer was allowed to go to a local Jesuit university to get a degree in chemistry.

Father Panneer has a real love for ecumenical dialogue. In India, he served as the diocesan and then regional secretary for ecumenism and dialogue. He continues to pursue that work in Yazoo City, “We all believe in Jesus, why should we be divided,” he said. “In Yazoo City there is a ministerial association. I have joined and they call me ‘only Father’ because they call one another pastor,” he joked. “The group unifies us, we are all one family with God as our Father.”

When he was ordained, Father Panneer selected the scripture “into your hands” as a kind of motto. He hopes to be an instrument for God in all his work. On Sunday, June 11, St. Mary Parish will host an anniversary Mass and meal starting at 2 p.m.

Father Kaskie

Father Brian Kaskie also marks 25 years of ordination this year. The Mississippi native has served in Natchez and at Madison St. Joseph High School for five years. He said he is still on the wedding circuit thanks to that work. Other places he served include Madison St. Francis, the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle and his current home of McComb St. Alphonsus Parish.

One of the highlights of his career was getting to be the chaplain for the New Orleans Saints football team when they held their spring camps in Jackson. “Twice I got to be the chaplain for the New Orleans Saints, before they got good. That’s why they got good, I was that good,” he said. Father Kaskie is currently director of seminarians for the diocese. His advice to men discerning their vocation: “Trust God and try to follow the Holy Spirit. It’s not complicated, but it’s hard,” he said.

Father Kaskie’s 25th anniversary celebration will be Monday, June 5, with Mass at 6:30 p.m. and a reception to follow.

 

Resurrection hope overcomes persecution

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Millennial reflections

By Jeremy Tobin, O.Praem.

I write this on Monday of Holy Week. For the last few years I have been working to get our Catholic people aware of our fellow Christians in the Middle East who undergo consistent persecution by fanatics. These Eastern Christians are descendants of the first Christians from Biblical times. On Palm Sunday the Coptic Church in Egypt, St. George in Tanta and St. Mark in Alexandria were bombed. Pictures of people and clergy with palms in their hands, bloodied and in shock tells me they are us, and we are them. Pope Francis sent his condolences and referred to their patriarch, Pope Tawadros II as his brother.

The patron of our priory was a Coptic monk whose relics are in a monastery east of Cairo. He is a popular saint in Egypt, Abba Moses or Moses the Black. Despite historical and theological differences, we Catholics and the Eastern Christians have much in common. Historically Muslims and Christians have gotten along and coexisted peacefully. Muslim leaders condemned these attacks by people who distort Islam and are fanatics. They, too, sent their condolences and support.

I begin this Holy Week/Easter column with this account to focus us on the joy of our religion. We celebrate a grizzly execution, year after year. We read the long account of Christ’s Passion and death, only to glory in his resurrection. From the beginning Christians were persecuted.

In fact martyrdom was the highest state of Christians. When the imperial persecutions ended, people began the monastic life in the deserts as a substitute for martyrdom. All these accounts tell from their death came heavenly glory. Christ died and rose, and so do the martyrs. Persecution never eliminates Christians, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” When the emperor became Christian began a new chapter in the history of Christianity.

This can be said in so many ways. Truth always overcomes falsehood. Good always triumphs over evil. Easter says this loud and clear.

God became human and shared human sorrow, suffering and death. Shawn Copeland, an African-American Catholic theologian wrote a piece about Palm Sunday and Holy Week. She writes, “With Palm Sunday comes the week that Christians cherish as no other.” In Rome, in Alexandria, in Jackson Mississippi, we see the same symbols, the ornate palms, the same Gospel passages. Different ceremonies, different languages, but, Oh so familiar. So it goes all week long, even to the glorious day of Resurrection. The Greeks say, “Christos Anasti!’ We say, “Christ has Risen!”

The mystery and joy of Easter is that our God became human and allowed himself to be beaten, mocked, spit upon and die a most ignominious and prolonged death. Total vulnerability. Dr. Copeland says, “The idea of a suffering God disturbs and unsettles us. If our God so suffers, is so exposed to the brutality and power of the world, what shall become of us?”

She writes, “We stand with our God only insofar as we stand beside and wait in active and compassionate solidarity with children, women and men who suffer concretely, unbeautifully, and actually in our world, which is God’s world, the poor, oppressed and excluded; abused children, battered women and homeless men.” We stand and wait in love ‘for Love to cast upon us the rays of dark, divine glory.’”

Then, still standing at the tomb, we see the light and the power, the glory of the Risen Christ like nothing else, and feel that healing, that unity that completion of all that is human on this earth, and feel the glory of heaven.

This is why Christianity is never pessimistic. It may accompany the suffering and the horrible, but in the end, the devil loosens his grip and change takes place. We may call it freedom. We may call it redemption. We can call it love overcoming and destroying hate. It is the creature reflecting perfectly the image of its creator. Genesis is fulfilled.

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

 

Encuentro’s hope: nationwide impact

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The trend has been clear for a long time. Hispanic and Latino Catholics make up the fastest-growing ethnic group in the U.S. Catholic Church – continuing the long tradition of a church that embraces newcomers as brothers and sisters in Christ.

That’s true in the Archdiocese of New York, where Hispanics and Latinos are estimated at 43 percent of the Catholic population, and it’s true in the major population centers of the country, such as Los Angeles, South Florida, the border areas of Texas and many other places.

A recent report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University commissioned by the U.S. bishops shows that more than half of millennial-generation Catholics born in 1982 or later are Hispanic or Latino.

So, it’s exciting to watch a major effort unfold, with the aim of bringing Hispanic and Latino Catholics closer to the church at every level and encouraging them toward leadership now and in the future.

An initiative of the U.S. bishops, V Encuentro, as it’s called, is the Fifth National Encuentro (Encounter), a synod-like process designed to prepare the church to better recognize and promote the gifts and talents that this growing community of Hispanic/Latino Catholics has to share with the church and society.

Preparations began last year, with training sessions for parish leaders, who will help organize parish encuentros throughout the archdiocese through June. Participating parishes also will take part in a one-day archdiocesan-wide Encuentro later in the year, followed by a regional Encuentro in June 2018 in Albany. The national V Encuentro is set for Sept. 20-23, 2018, in Grapevine, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The theme is “Missionary Disciples: Witness of God’s Love,” and it’s expected that more than 7 million Catholics will be involved at some level, with more than 5,000 parishes participating in the process.

Those are impressive numbers, and if they hold up – and we have no reason to think they won’t – it would be a major home run for the church and for its Hispanic/Latino members.

Here in the Archdiocese of New York, the process is being shepherded by the extremely capable Wanda Vasquez, the director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry, who’s been a dedicated and hard-working member of the archdiocesan leadership team for many years.

She sees V Encuentro as an opportunity to “build a culture of encuentro,” where parishioners can “enter a relationship with Jesus Christ, collaborate with each other” and reach out to those who have fallen away from the church.

“As Pope Francis has taught us in the ‘Joy of the Gospel,’ we need to get out of our comfort zones, go into the peripheries and reach out to those who have gone astray, especially those who are in high-risk situations,” she said, after a recent training session for parish leaders held at Fordham University.

Vasquez, and other organizers, hope the Encuentro process will yield an increase in vocations of Latinos to the priesthood, religious life and permanent diaconate; create a group of Latino leaders for the church; bring an increase in the percentage of Latino students enrolling at Catholic schools; as well as an increase Latinos’ sense of belonging and stewardship in the U.S. church.

From what we’ve seen so far, the passion and commitment is there. We pray that the results will reflect that, too.

(“Building ‘a culture of encuentro’” was first printed in the March 30 issue of Catholic New York, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New York. Teams across the Diocese of Jackson are working on the V Encuentro here. The effort dovetails perfectly with the new diocesan Pastoral Priorites.)

 

Greenville welcomes Wies as new principal

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Mr. WiesGREENVILLE – St. Joseph Catholic School is pleased to announce the appointment of Stephen Wies of Cleveland, Miss., as principal of the K3-12 school, effective July 1.

“Steve Wies is a great family man and a good Catholic, faithful to both his family and his church community,” said Father Bill Henry, pastor of St. Joseph Parish. “I am impressed with his love for education and his leadership abilities. He will be a principal that will lead by example, and will be someone our students can emulate in faith and in their academic pursuits.”

This decision caps a months-long search process that began when Paul Artman announced his intention to retire after 12 years as both teacher and principal of St. Joseph School, and Michelle Gardiner announced her retirement as Our Lady of Lourdes (OLOL) principal after nine years at the helm and 12 years at OLOL.

The St. Joseph School advisory council thanked Principals Artman and Gardiner for their many years of Service to St. Joseph Catholic Schools. Members remain most grateful for their leadership and contributions.

“Both Paul and Michelle have been a blessing and an asset to Catholic education for many years,” said Catherine Cook, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Jackson. “I am grateful for their willingness to share their gifts with us and I am thrilled to welcome Steve Wies to the Catholic school family in the diocese,” added Cook.

A product of Catholic schools in Missouri, Wies comes to St. Joseph from Cleveland High School. Since 2010, Wies has served as Cleveland’s athletic director and math teacher, as well as baseball and soccer coach.

He has an exemplary track record at Cleveland High School, managing the day-to-day operations of 21 high school and eight junior high programs, handling the budgeting, scheduling, maintenance, inventory, security and overall needs of the school’s athletic programs.

Wies says his philosophy of education includes five pillars. “Set high expectations for all involved in the educational process. Establish clear policies and procedures with rewards and consequences. Be transparent. Be fair and consistent. Seek out the good in people, show appreciation and acknowledge their achievements.”

“I know youngsters are very impressionable, so I intend to impress upon them a Catholic foundation that will carry them into a productive adulthood life,” he says.

Wies earned his associate’s degree at St. Louis Community College, his bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Delta State University, and his master’s degree in educational administration from Delta State University. He earned his Mississippi Class AA Administrator’s License in 2005. He is an active member of Cleveland Our Lady of Victories Parish.

Wies and his wife, Selena, have been married for 27 years and are the parents of two daughters, Anna (23) and Emily (20).