Author Archives: Tereza Ma

Aperuit Illis and Sunday of the Word of God

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By Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
On Sept. 30, 2019, on the feast of St. Jerome, Pope Francis promulgated his Apostolic Letter, Aperuit Illis designating the third Sunday in January as Sunday of the Word of God. This blessed designation, a praiseworthy compliment to Corpus Christi, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord, will over time, serve to integrate and enliven the Sacred Scriptures into the liturgical life of the church, and the daily life of Catholics. St. Jerome dedicated his life to the translation of the entire bible into Latin from the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament.
Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter yearns for us to “to appreciate the inexhaustible riches contained in the constant dialogue with and among the Word of God, the risen Lord, and his people.”

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

The Bible is a living word, fashioned by the Holy Spirit over two thousand years, and proclaimed and preached upon, studied and taught over the next two thousand years in what we as Catholics accept as tradition. It is the living Word of God, the heart and soul of the church’s life and ministry, that continues to form the Lord’s body, the church. “The heavens and the earth will pass away, but my Word will never pass away.” (Luke 21:33)

The sacred scriptures that the Catholic Church throughout the world proclaimed last weekend wonderfully portrayed the dialogue that is ever active between the risen Lord and his body, through the living Word of God.

In Sunday’s Gospel, in the synagogue in Nazareth, the Lord rolled up the scroll from the prophet Isaiah after announcing liberation, freedom, sight to the blind, and a year of grace and favor proclaiming: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)
Why? Because Jesus is the Good News who comes with salvation for all who hear his voice and become his disciples.

All Scripture is inspired by God (2Tim 3:16) and intended to lead us to Jesus Christ, but without a doubt, the most important words in all of the Bible are the ipsissima verba of Jesus, his very own words.

His inaugural address in the synagogue in Nazareth, where he was a member all of his life, is among some of his most inspiring and hopeful. In the first reading last weekend from the Book of Nehemiah, Ezra, the priest and scribe, spoke to the Israelites who gathered to hear the Word of God after years in exile. “For this day is holy to Our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) We can take these encouraging words to heart each time we gather in faith.

Aperuit Illis is the title of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter that inaugurated “Sunday of the Word of God. Literally, it means “he opened for them” and it is taken from the resurrection appearance on the road to Emmaus.

This year, as we strive to deepen our love for the Lord in the Year of the Eucharist, let us turn to the story of Emmaus when the risen Lord walked with two of his forlorn disciples, burning his words into their hearts, opening their minds to understand the scriptures that referred to Him, and then their eyes to recognize Him in the breaking of the bread.

Finally, the two disciples dashed from the place they were staying to announce the Good News. This scripture passage is the paradigm for the Mass when we are fed from the table of the Word of God and the table of the Eucharist, and then at the conclusion of our worship, we are sent to announce the Gospel with our lives.

Regarding the Word of God in other settings apart from Mass, we believe that God is always inviting us to grow in our faith and in our love for the scriptures. In the Book of Revelation, we have the beloved passage that has become a centerpiece for God’s initiative. “Behold, I am standing at the door knocking. If one of you hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter and we will dine together.” (Revelations 3:20)

Pope Francis encourages us, “if we hear his voice and open the doors of our minds and hearts, then he will enter our lives and remain with us.” May we become at home with the bible in whatever way is possible in our daily lives.
In season and out of season, in good times and in bad, may the joy of the Lord be our strength. With our Blessed Mother and all the saints, may we hear the Word of God and put it into practice. May the proclamation of God’s Word on every weekend enlighten our minds and hearts to know that the Lord is always near.

Aperuit Illis y Domingo de la Palabra de Dios

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Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D.
En la fiesta de San Jerónimo, el 30 de septiembre de 2019, el Papa Francisco promulgó su Carta Apostólica Aperuit Illis, designando el tercer domingo de enero como Domingo de la Palabra de Dios. Esta bendita designación, un digno cumplido del Corpus Christi, la Solemnidad del Cuerpo y la Sangre del Señor, servirá con el tiempo para integrar y vivificar las Sagradas Escrituras en la vida litúrgica de la iglesia y en la vida diaria de los católicos. San Jerónimo dedicó su vida a la traducción de toda la Biblia al latín: el Antiguo Testamento desde el idioma Hebreo y el Nuevo Testamento desde el Griego.

El Papa Francisco, en su Carta Apostólica anhela que “apreciemos las riquezas inagotables contenidas en el diálogo constante con y entre la Palabra de Dios, el Señor resucitado y su pueblo.”

La Biblia es una palabra viva, formada por el Espíritu Santo durante dos mil años y proclamada, predicada, estudiada y enseñada durante los próximos dos mil años en lo que nosotros, como católicos, aceptamos como una tradición. Es la Palabra viva de Dios, el corazón y el alma de la vida y el ministerio de la iglesia, la que continúa formando el cuerpo del Señor, la iglesia. “Los cielos y la tierra pasarán, pero Mi Palabra nunca pasará.” Lucas 21:33

Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz

Las Sagradas Escrituras que la Iglesia Católica en todo el mundo proclamó el fin de semana pasado retrataron maravillosamente el diálogo siempre activo entre el Señor resucitado y su cuerpo, a través de la Palabra viva de Dios.

En el Evangelio del domingo, en la sinagoga de Nazaret, el Señor enrolla el pergamino del profeta Isaías después de anunciar la liberación, la libertad, la vista a los ciegos y un año de gracia y favor proclamando “Hoy mismo se ha cumplido la Escritura que ustedes acaban de oír.” Lucas 4:21

¿Por qué? Porque Jesús es la Buena Noticia que viene con la salvación para todos los que escuchan su voz y se hacen sus discípulos.

Toda la Escritura está inspirada por Dios (2Tim 3:16) y tiene la intención de llevarnos a Jesucristo, pero sin duda, las palabras más importantes de toda la Biblia son la ipsissima verba de Jesús, sus propias palabras.

Su discurso inaugural en la sinagoga de Nazaret, donde fue miembro toda su vida, se encuentra entre algunos de los más inspiradores y esperanzadores. En la primera lectura del Libro de Nehemías el fin de semana pasado, Esdras, el sacerdote y escriba, habló a los israelitas que se reunieron para escuchar la Palabra de Dios después de años en el exilio. “…hoy es un día dedicado a nuestro Señor., No estén tristes, porque la alegría del Señor es nuestro refugio.” (Nehemías 8:10) Nosotros podemos tomar en serio estas palabras de aliento cada vez que nos reunimos en fe.

Aperuit Illis es el título de la Carta Apostólica del Papa Francisco que inauguró el “Domingo de la Palabra de Dios.” Aperuit Illis, literalmente significa “les abrió” y está tomado de la aparición de la resurrección en el camino a Emaús.
Este año, mientras nos esforzamos por profundizar nuestro amor por el Señor en el Año de la Eucaristía, volvamos a la historia de Emaús cuando el Señor resucitado caminó con dos de sus discípulos afligidos, grabando sus palabras en sus corazones, abriendo sus mentes, para entender las escrituras que se referían a Él y luego sus ojos para reconocerlo en la fracción del pan.

Finalmente, los dos discípulos salieron corriendo del lugar donde se encontraban para anunciar la Buena Nueva. Este pasaje de las Escrituras es el paradigma de la Misa, cuando somos alimentados en la mesa de la Palabra de Dios y la mesa de la Eucaristía, y, luego, al concluir nuestro culto, somos enviados a anunciar el Evangelio con nuestras vidas.

En cuanto a la Palabra de Dios en otros escenarios además de la Misa, creemos que Dios siempre nos está invitando a crecer en nuestra fe y en nuestro amor por las Escrituras. En el Libro de Apocalipsis, tenemos el amado pasaje que se ha convertido en la pieza central de la iniciativa de Dios. “Mira, yo estoy llamando a la puerta; si alguien oye mi voz y abre la puerta, entraré en su casa y cenaremos juntos.” Apocalipsis 3:20

El Papa Francisco nos anima, “si escuchamos su voz y abrimos las puertas de nuestras mentes y corazones, entonces él entrará en nuestras vidas y permanecerá con nosotros.” Que nos sintamos cómodos con la Biblia en cualquier forma posible en nuestra vida diaria.

En estación y fuera de estación, en las buenas y en las malas, que el gozo del Señor sea nuestra fortaleza. Con nuestra Santísima Madre y todos los santos, que escuchemos la Palabra de Dios y la pongamos en práctica. Que la proclamación de la Palabra de Dios, cada fin de semana, ilumine nuestras mentes y corazones para saber que el Señor siempre está cerca.

Mental health awareness

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GUEST COLUMN
By By Reba J. McMellon, M.S., LPC
Mental health awareness has almost become a buzz phrase. You hear it in in the Olympics, certainly in response to the pandemic, and “Hipsters” are all into it.

Being aware of one’s mental health is one thing. Doing something about it is another.

Have you ever been told, “Maybe you should go talk to somebody?” It’s a suggestion that can set you back on your heels. I was told this during a conversation and my first thought was, “I am talking to somebody, I’m talking to YOU.”

Reba J. McMellon, M.S.,LPC

Having someone suggest you could benefit from counseling can be off-putting. However, counseling is a valuable service and most people would do well by giving it a shot. But where do you begin? How do you find a good counselor or psychologist? It’s not an easy subject to approach. The following are a few indications that professional counseling is warranted:
• If the problem has been bothersome for years and no matter whom you talk to it keeps coming back.
• If you suffer silently and feel embarrassed by emotional symptoms that are uncomfortable to discuss with people you know.
• You have a problem that is seriously interfering with your quality of life.
Research has repeatedly shown the number one factor that predicts positive outcome in counseling is the connection between counselor and client. You will know within the first three visits if the counseling relationship is working for you. Do not let guilt or vulnerability be a factor in maintaining a therapeutic relationship that is uncomfortable. Don’t fall into the “it must be me” trap.

If you like your physician, ask if they could provide a referral. Your minister or clergy should also have a list of counselors they would recommend. An even better way to find a counselor is to ask a friend who has been to counseling for a referral. Referrals can come from anyone you trust with good sense.

A second way to find a counselor to talk to is through your health insurance. Ask what providers they cover and about their credentials.

Ask the counselor a few questions. For instance, ask about his or her office hours. Ask about licensure, credentials and experience. What university did they attend? Tell them just a little something about your issue, and then ask what their approach to counseling is. Sometimes counselor’s will only answer these question in the first session, but be sure to ask them.

If you are steeped in a certain religion that is important to you, tell them this ahead of time and ask if this would pose any problem.

The things you should listen for are:
• Openness to answering your questions. This does not mean going into detail about your presenting problem, just openness to answering your questions and concerns.
• Does it feel like you can connect with this person? If they give you the “willies” on the phone, they are likely to give you the “willies” in person.
• Does it sound like they would welcome you as a client? Haughty or distant are not good signs.
Prices vary due to the level of education but not necessarily due to the quality of service. Again, your health insurance may be a help in in this area.

The most important point is that some people are truly wonderful matches and others have the credentials and training but lack the style or personality you need. Consider going outside your immediate geographical range, if necessary.

Try not to be derailed by the “stigma” of seeking professional counseling. Emotional healing and behavior change can lead to a healthier spiritual and physical life.

The healthiest people I know are the ones who have sense enough to want help, to seek it out and stick with it.

(Reba J. McMellon is a freelance writer, columnist and consultant. She lives in Jackson and can be reached at rebaj@bellsouth.net.)

People’s mistakes and sins do not frighten God, pope says

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By Carol Glatz
ROME (CNS) – God is not frightened by people’s sins, mistakes or failures, Pope Francis said.

What God is afraid of is “the closure of our hearts – this, yes, this makes him suffer – he is frightened by our lack of faith in his love,” the pope said Jan. 19 during his weekly general audience.

Everybody must “square accounts” with what they have done, but “settling the accounts with God is a beautiful thing because we start talking and he embraces us” with tenderness, the pope said.

Pope Francis meets a group of nuns during his general audience in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican Jan. 19, 2022. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope Francis continued his series of audience talks about St. Joseph, reflecting on his tenderness.

Very little detail is found in the Gospels about St. Joseph’s fatherly approach, but “we can be sure that his being a ‘just’ man also translated into the education he gave to Jesus,” the pope said.

Jesus understood God’s tenderness and love, experiencing it first through St. Joseph, he said. “The things of God always come to us through the mediation of human experiences.”
“There is great tenderness in the experience of God’s love, and it is beautiful to think that the first person to transmit this reality to Jesus was Joseph himself,” he said.

In fact, Jesus always used the word “father” to speak of God and his love, he said. The most memorable account of God’s mercy is Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, who expected punishment for his sins, but instead “he finds himself wrapped in his father’s embrace.”

“Tenderness is something greater than the logic of the world. It is an unexpected way of doing justice,” Pope Francis said.

“That is why we must never forget that God is not frightened by our sins,” he said, because God “is greater than our sins: he is the father, he is love, he is tender.”

Tenderness is “the experience of feeling loved and welcomed precisely in our poverty and misery, and thus transformed by God’s love,” the pope said.

“The Lord does not take away all our weaknesses, but helps us to walk on with our weaknesses, taking us by the hand” and walking by people’s side, he said.

“The experience of tenderness consists in seeing God’s power pass through precisely that which makes us most fragile; on the condition, however, that we are converted from the gaze of the Evil One who ‘makes us see and condemn our frailty,’ while the Holy Spirit ‘brings it to light with tender love,’” the pope said, quoting from his apostolic letter on St. Joseph, “Patris corde.”

If the devil ever speaks the truth to people, it is because he is twisting it “to tell us a lie” and to “condemn us,” the pope said. “Instead, the Lord tells us the truth and reaches out his hand to save us. We know that God’s truth does not condemn, but instead welcomes, embraces, sustains and forgives us.”

The world needs this “revolution of tenderness” and, without it, “we risk remaining imprisoned in a justice that does not allow us to rise easily and that confuses redemption with punishment,” he added.

With this in mind, the pope highlighted what people in prison need most.

“It is right that those who have done wrong should pay for their mistake, but it is equally right that those who have done wrong should be able to redeem themselves from their mistake. There cannot be sentences without a window of hope,” he said, which, in past speeches, he has explained would be sentences of life in prison or the death penalty.

“Let us think of our brothers and sisters in prison, and think of God’s tenderness for them, and let us pray for them, so they might find in that window of hope a way out toward a better life.”

El Salvador welcomes four new martyrs, symbols of Vatican II church

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By Rhina Guidos
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (CNS) – Unlike the spotless image of many holy men and women, a depiction of one of the new martyrs of the Catholic Church looks anything but polished.

The boy is hunched a little. His cuffed pants are slightly too big for his small body. His shirt, improperly unbuttoned, hangs just a bit longer on one side than the other. Bullet casings are at the bare feet of the unpolished martyr.

That’s the image his parish in El Paisnal, El Salvador, presented to the world, with the message that the most simple and poor, like Nelson Rutilio Lemus, a teenage boy, are worthy of the grace of martyrdom. Lemus was assassinated in his rural hometown next to his pastor, Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande, and sacristan Manuel Solórzano, March 12, 1977.

The three, along with Franciscan Father Cosme Spessotto, were beatified Jan. 22 in an outdoor evening ceremony attended by their families – some from the U.S. and Blessed Spessotto’s native Italy – at Salvador del Mundo Plaza in San Salvador. Beatification is one of the final steps toward sainthood.

This undated photo shows Nelson Rutilio Lemus, left, who was shot and killed along with his pastor, Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande, and sacristan Manuel Solórzano, March 12, 1977, on the way to a novena. All three and Franciscan Father Cosme Spessotto were beatified in San Salvador, El Salvador, Jan. 22, 2022. (CNS photo/courtesy Archdiocese of San Salvador)

Salvadoran Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chavez, who presided at the ceremony, placed the martyrs’ and the Catholic Church’s role into the context of the country’s civil conflict in the 1970s and 1980s, which ended with peace accords in 1992. The martyrs beatified were part of more than 75,000 civilians killed.

“Those of us who have lived this experience intensely, those who have experienced firsthand the drama of institutionalized violence, of the violence of the armed conflict and of daily violence, fill this square and its surroundings,” the cardinal said during the homily for the beatifications. “Of the four martyrs of El Salvador who have just been beatified, we can say what John (in the Gospel) affirms … that ‘they come from the great tribulation’ and ‘that they have washed their clothes and made them white with the blood of the Lamb.’”

The war and the period before it, El Salvador’s “great tribulation,” brought with it hatred, revenge, pain, destruction, terror, death, slander and stigmatization against defenseless people, he said, and the blesseds, like the poor, bore the brunt of its calamities.

Blessed Spessotto was shot point-blank as he prayed inside his church June 14, 1980. A bullet hole from the attack remains inside the church.

Blessed Grande’s car was ambushed on the way to a novena. His assassins left his body and that of his companions, a teenager and an elderly man, riddled with so many bullets that parishioners had to carry them in blankets to keep their corpses from falling apart.

“In Latin America, martyrdom is related to the experience of the Gospel and the doctrine of the church above all after the Second Vatican Council,” and its adaptation to the realities the church in the region was facing, Cardinal Rosa Chavez said.

The poverty and injustices suffered by Blesseds Lemus and Solórzano – but also their devotion to remain with a pastor whose life was in danger – represented “a window to peer into the reality” of what the Book of Revelations calls “a great multitude that no one could number,” a nod to all Salvadoran lay Catholics who died and disappeared in the war, Cardinal Rosa Chavez said.

To the criminals who took the martyrs’ lives, “we want to say to them … that we love them” and ask God that they repent and have a change of heart, the cardinal said, “because the church is not capable of hate. The only enemies (the church) has are those who declare themselves so.”

At the Vatican Jan. 23, Pope Francis, in comments following Sunday’s customary Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, mentioned the blesseds.

“They stood by the poor, bearing witness to the Gospel, truth and justice, even to the shedding of their blood,” he said. “May their heroic example arouse in everyone the desire to be courageous agents of fraternity and peace. Let us applaud the new blesseds!”

Longtime diocese staple, Fabvienen Taylor bids farewell

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JACKSON – After service to the chancery office and diocese faithfully for 34 years, 25 as a photo-journalist with Mississippi Today/Mississippi Catholic, Fabvienen Taylor retired on Dec. 31. Taylor also worked for three years in the Office of Faith Formation and another six in the Tribunal Office with Father Jeffrey Waldrep. On Thursday, Jan. 13, chancery staff gathered to share memories and celebrate Taylor and her many years of service to the Diocese of Jackson. Pictured is Taylor enjoying the last touch of her old camera, which she used to take thousands of picture around the diocese. Mississippi Catholic and the chancery staff are incredibly grateful for her service to the people of God in our diocese. (Photo by Rhonda Bowden)

Featured photo… Door Restoration

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JACKSON – The doors at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle must be refinished every two to three years due to their exposure to the elements. Keeping the Cathedral in beautiful condition to inspire worship of God is a labor of love that never ends. The Cathedral is grateful for the generosity of parishioners and other donors. Pictured are members of the Wood Door Restoration company, owned by Clint Ertle of Terry, installing the newly refinished doors earlier this month. (Photo by Father Matthew Simmons)

Calendar of events

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PARISH, FAMILY AND SCHOOL EVENTS
GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Spring Fling 2022, $10,000 Cash Drawdown Mardi Gras, Saturday, Feb. 26 at The Gin at Dunleith in Leland. Drawdown begins at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $100 and may be purchased at church or school office. Details: church office (662) 335-5251.

FLOWOOD St. Paul, Black & White Ball/Annual Drawdown, Saturday, Feb. 19, 6:30 p.m. at the Family Life Center. Tickets: $125 and raffle tickets $1. Details: Pat Scanlon (601) 953-6370.

JACKSON St. Richard, Annual Super Bowl Sunday Pulled Pork Dinner. Tickets $10 each and funds raised support St. Richard Boy Scout Troop 30. Dinners available for pick-up on Feb. 6. Tickets are available for purchase in the church and school offices. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.

St. Richard, Bereavement Support, Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6:30 p.m. in Chichester Room. Speaker: Pat Walden, retired St. Dominic director of pastoral care. Topic: “Guilt in Grief – How to Deal with it.” All are welcome. Details: Suzie Cranston (601) 573-3347 or Nancy McGhee at (601) 942-2078 or ncmcghee@bellsouth.net.

St. Richard School, Krewe de Cardinal, Friday, Feb. 25. This festive evening features a brass band, silent and live auctions, cash drawing, cocktails and cuisine. Tickets: $50/per person or $100/per couple, in advance. Details: development@strichardschool.org.

LELAND St. James Feast of St. Blaise/Blessing of the Throats. On Feb. 3, at 12:15 p.m. for parishioners of St. James, Immaculate Conception Hollandale and Our Mother of Mercy Anguilla. Details: church office (662) 686-7352.

MADISON St. Joseph School, Jeans, Jazz & Bruin Blues $10,000 Drawdown, Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Country Club of Jackson. Details: www.stjoedrawdown.com.

St. Francis, Discovering Christ begins Tuesday, Feb. 1. Talk about big questions: What is the meaning of life? Why am I here? Join us one night a week for seven weeks. Details: www.stfrancismadison.org/dc-register-1.

OLIVE BRANCH Queen of Peace, Spaghetti dinner after Mass on Sunday, Jan. 30. Cost: $8/plate; $25/family; $2 smoked sausage ($1 half); $10 quart gravy; $5 quart slaw. Details: church office (662) 895-5007.

PEARL St. Jude, Super Bowl Chicken Plates. Knights are selling chicken plates for $12 for pick up between 1-2 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13. Tickets sold through Sunday, Feb. 6. Details: church office (601) 939-3181.

TUPELO St. James, Adult Trivia Night, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at Kingfisher Lodge. Food and drinks served. RSVP to Mary Frances Strange at https://linktr.ee/stjamestupelo Details: church office (662) 842-4881.

SAVE THE DATE
YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST A parish mission on the Eucharist and the Mass is available in the diocese at two locations this Lent. Father Aaron Williams will offer a three day mission at St. Mary’s Basilica Natchez from March 8-10 and at Immaculate Heart of Mary Greenwood from March 27-29. All sessions will begin at 6 p.m.

JACKSON St. Peter Cathedral the Apostle, Bishop Chanche Awards ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 11 a.m.

TRIPS WITH FATHER DAVID O’CONNOR Father O’Connor will be hosting trips to Italy (May 28 – June 6), England and Wales (June 23 – July 3) and Ireland (Sept 7-15). Details: For Italy trip visit caragrouptravel.com/italy-with-father-oconnor-2022/. For England and Wales trip visit caragrouptravel.com/england-and-wales-with-father-oconnor/. For Ireland trip visit caragrouptravel.com/tour-of-ireland-with-father-o-connor-2022/.

COVID NOTE
As the Omicron variant continues, the Diocese of Jackson STRONGLY ENCOURAGES the wearing of masks to Mass and all parish gatherings. Social distancing of 3 feet is recommended.

We appreciate all of your efforts to keep each other safe. Each parish may adapt protocols and make decisions according to the local reality of their individual parish communities.

Charities Migration Corner: Form I-751

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By Matthew Young
Many people do not know of an immigration application known as Form I-751. This form is required for a certain category of permanent residents known, somewhat paradoxically, as “conditional permanent residents” to remove conditions on their status and receive a normal green card that is valid for ten years.

The conditional green card is given to people who have received their permanent resident status on the basis of a marriage that is less than two years old. The card is valid for two years. The purpose of Form I-751 is to further confirm that the marriage is legitimate.

It is not an absolute requirement that the immigrant remain married to their spouse in order to file Form I-751; there is a provision for applicants who have divorced their spouses since becoming permanent residents, as well as a provision for spouses who have been the victim of domestic abuse. There is also a provision for applicants whose spouse has died. However, in all cases evidence must be provided that the marriage was entered into in good faith.

It is very important that Form I-751 be distinguished from Form I-90. Form I-90 is the form used by non-conditional permanent residents to renew their green cards every ten years. A conditional green card cannot be renewed with Form I-90, and such an application will be denied.

Form I-751 can only be filed during a specific window of time: the 90-day period prior to the expiration of the conditional green card. Applications filed more than 90 days prior to the expiration will be rejected and returned to the applicant. Applications filed after the conditional green card has expired are likely to be denied, unless the applicant can show that the failure to file during the 90-day window was due to extraordinary circumstances beyond their control.

For information about legal services relating to immigration, call the Migrant Support Center at Catholic Charities of Jackson at 601-948-2635.

(Matthew Young is an attorney for the Migrant Support Center of Catholic Charities, Inc. Diocese of Jackson)

Briefs

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NATION
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Prominent leaders of the religious freedom movement introduced an organization they say will work to defend religious liberty and support political candidates at all levels of government who back the free practice of religion. Charging that religious practice is increasingly threatened by legal maneuvering and public actions that seek to limit the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious rights, speakers during an online launch of the organization Jan. 18 called on Americans to join the effort. Tom Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute, said the new organization will be known as the National Committee for Religious Freedom. It is being established as a separate nonprofit organization under the institute. “If religious freedom is diminished and damaged in America, our beloved country will be grievously harmed, but so too will the rest of the world,” Farr said during the launch event. “Our nation has built a system of religious freedom that, while never perfect, is unparalleled in the history of mankind. It stands as a guiding light for a world sorely in need of religious freedom.” The committee’s early efforts will focus on forming chapters in all 50 states. Supporters are asked to sign a pledge committing to protect religious freedom. The pledge is on the committee website at www.thencrf.org.

Pope Benedict XVI blesses the faithful from the balcony of his summer residence on the day of his resignation in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, in this Feb. 28, 2013, file photo. A German law firm’s report on how abuse cases were handled in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising incriminated retired Pope Benedict, with lawyers accusing him of misconduct in four cases during his tenure as Munich archbishop. The pope denied wrongdoing in all cases, according to the firm. (CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters)

VATICAN
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In the wake of a massive underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga, subsequent tsunamis and now contamination from volcanic ash and saltwater, Pope Francis has appealed for prayers for the people of the region. “My thoughts go to the people of the islands of Tonga, struck in recent days by the eruption of the underwater volcano, which caused enormous material damage. I am spiritually close to all the people suffering, imploring God for the relief of their suffering,” the pope said at the end of his general audience talk in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall Jan. 19. “I invite everyone to join me in praying for these brothers and sisters,” he said. The massive eruption Jan. 15 triggered a series of tsunamis that inundated coastal communities, destroying homes, contaminating water supplies and cutting off power and communications. Mounds of ash, which continued to fall from the volcano days after the blast, were also contaminating water sources and hampering efforts to bring in outside aid and rescue teams. However, there are concerns that bringing in aid from outside the region and distributing relief might spread the virus that causes COVID-19: Tonga recorded its first case in October. At least three people have been reported dead in the Tonga region and two in Peru from tsunamis triggered by the eruption.

WORLD
MUNICH, Germany (CNS) – A law firm’s report on how abuse cases were handled in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising incriminated retired Pope Benedict XVI, with lawyers accusing him of misconduct in four cases during his tenure as Munich archbishop. Lawyer Martin Pusch of the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl said the retired pope had denied wrongdoing in all cases, reported the German Catholic news agency KNA. Pusch expressed doubt about Pope Benedict’s claim of ignorance in some cases, saying this was, at times, “hardly reconcilable” with the files. At the Vatican, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said, “The Holy See believes it has an obligation to give serious attention to the document” on cases of abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, but it has not yet had a chance to study it. “In the coming days, following its publication, the Holy See will review it and will be able to properly examine its details. Reiterating its sense of shame and remorse for the abuse of minors committed by clerics, the Holy See assures its closeness to all victims and confirms the path taken to protect the youngest, ensuring safe environments for them,” Bruni said. Retired Pope Benedict headed the Munich Archdiocese from 1977 to 1982, before being called to the Vatican to head the doctrinal congregation.

DUBLIN (CNS) – The Irish government has added a new public holiday to the national calendar to honor the country’s female patron, St. Brigid of Kildare. The fifth-century abbess – who is one of the country’s three patron saints along with St. Patrick and St. Columba – founded several monasteries of nuns. Her Feb. 1 feast day will become the new holiday; many Irish people mark that date as the traditional first day of spring. Bishop Denis Nulty of Kildare and Leighlin, where St. Brigid founded her largest monastic settlement, had backed calls for the female saint to be honored on the civil calendar. The new holiday, on which all public offices will close, will be in addition to St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17 and is also a public holiday. This year, St. Patrick’s Day will have an extra holiday March 18 as a special “thank you” to front-line health care workers for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.