Author Archives: Tereza Ma

Advent/Christmas 2020

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Dear Friends in Christ,

            As we look back to the beginning of the year of the Lord, 2020, no one of us could imagine the storm that was advancing imperceptibly. Pre-pandemic and post pandemic will be the great divide for generations to come. Yet, the rhythms of life, although impacted, do not cease. On the family front, Emil Calomino, Joseph Calomino, and Fiorella Calomino, the last of the greatest generation, died in the Lord and entered eternal life. Each was well into his or her nineties.

In their passing, the torch officially is passed to the baby boomers, the new generation of elders. Because

Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz

of the pandemic, my travels have been restricted, within the diocese and beyond, and not being engaged fully in the ministry is frustrating. Yet, apart from going to the chancery office regularly, I spend more time in my home since March than I ever did for the first six years as Bishop of Jackson. Lo and behold, I am enjoying all of the tasks that a home requires, plus reading, praying, conversations, and of course, zooming from within the walls of mi casa. My dear dog, Amigo, now nearly 14 years old, keeps asking when I am going to return to work full time. He has been a delight in many ways, and although his mobility is diminishing, there is nothing wrong with his mouth nor his appetite.

            I am grateful to all of my coworkers in the vineyard of the Lord in the Diocese of Jackson, ordained and lay, who daily look for creative and meaningful ways to regroup, and to serve in our parishes, ministries and schools during this pandemic. Likewise, behind the scenes, only God knows the heroic efforts our families exert each day to do what has to be done for the children and the elders. At the top of our list, we express our gratitude for the health care workers who serve heroically during this marathon of critical care. They need our prayers, our respect and our common sense with proven precautions. Let us pray for all who have died, and for their loved ones who could not comfort them at their bedsides. For the unemployed and underemployed, may all who can make a difference, endeavor to do so as bridges to hope and a fresh start.

            As Christmas approaches we yearn for what is familiar and comforting. Yet, we are duty-bound in the midst of a rampant pandemic to curtail and/or sacrifice our treasured holy day and holiday traditions for the good of all, loved ones as well as the stranger. The time will come when we will feast together again and cherish one another’s company. Although this is distressing in the moment, each year at this time we proclaim hope and new life because of Jesus, the light shining through a world of shadows and death. In his light we seek comfort for our weary minds and hearts, and the blessings of encouragement and perseverance.

“The Lord is good; his mercy is eternal; his fidelity is from age to age! (Ps 100)  

Youth news

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MADISON – St. Anthony kindergarten students prayerfully gather around the advent wreath during morning Prayer and Pledge. Pictured from left: Mae McDaniel, Ellison Cole, Emma Kassinger, Seth D’Mello, Caroline Hammett, Kaitlyn Rottman, Lucy Sanders and Olivia Howell. (Photo by Keri Dare)

(First pic) Second grade St. Anthony students created volcanos in conjunction with their classroom lessons. Addy Griffin is filled with excitement as her volcano erupts. (Photo by Kati Loyacono)

JACKSON – (Above) St. Richard fourth grade student Samantha Cochran won the school Spelling Bee on Tuesday, Dec. 8. (Photo by Chelsea Hamilton)
COLUMBUS – Annunciation fourth grader, Miles Brignac, presents his science fair project Soil vs. Soil x 4. (Photo by Katie Fenstermacher)

Posadas pickup pilgrimage gives gift of charity to Louisiana parishes affected by hurricanes

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By Daisey Martinez
PEARL – Sister Marirose Rudek, R.S.M., Director of the Office of Religious Education and Evangelization in the Diocese of Lake Charles, shared during a regional meeting of the diocesan faith formation directors back in November. She spoke about the great loss people in her diocese have faced and how they are all just trying to navigate these troubled times, together.
“After the hurricane Laura, people had the attitude of, ‘It’s okay we can do this. We can handle it’, but after Hurricane Delta, people were just sobbing, sobbing, sobbing. … On top of everything else, people are losing loved ones due to natural deaths, heart attacks, suicide. There’s this sense of being overwhelmed and fatigued.” These are some of the words that Sister Marirose used to describe the difficult situation over in Lake Charles.
Daniel McCormick, Director of the Office of Religious Education from the Diocese of Birmingham, was touched by what Sister Marirose had shared with the group and knew he wanted to find a way to help out. After speaking with Sister Marirose, McCormick came up with the idea of a supply drive for faith formation for the parishes who lost their religious education buildings and more due to the wind and rain damage of the hurricanes.

PEARL – Mike Speyrer of Birmingham picks up a donation to load on the truck for a special “Posadas Pickup Pilgrimage” project that stopped at St. Jude parish on Dec. 17. Daniel McCormick of the Diocese of Birmingham developed the project to deliver much needed supplies to parishes in the Diocese of Lake Charles, Louisiana that were hard hit by Hurricanes Laura and Delta earlier in the year. Stops were made in Meridian, Pearl and Natchez within the diocese. Kelly McGregor of St. Jude Pearl is pictured in the background. (Photo by Daisey Martinez)

This was the genesis of the “Posadas Pickup Pilgrimage” project. The objective was to gather parish leaders and catechists for charitable Advent celebrations at parishes across the dioceses of Birmingham, Jackson, and Alexandria and encourage the celebration of the Posadas in parish communities and families this Advent.
McCormick planned the trip to include nine stops to symbolize the nine nights leading up to Christmas in the Posadas tradition. Three of those stops were in the Diocese of Jackson: St Patrick Meridian; St Jude Pearl, and Mary Basilica Natchez on Dec. 16 and 17. Items were collected from their parishioners and from St. Francis Madison, St. Paul Flowood and Holy Family Jackson, whom actively participated by collecting and dropping off donations at the Pearl pickup location. St. Anthony in Madison and Cathedral in Natchez were some of the local Catholic schools that were also involved in collecting supplies for the pilgrimage. The parishes in these cities provided a welcoming environment for those who dropped off donations on the dates of the pickup.
In a time when everyone must be socially distant, this served as a wonderful opportunity for people to come together and show love and kindness to our neighboring brothers and sisters.

Sister Marirose messaged everyone involved by sharing her gratitude “Thank you to everyone, … no matter what you’re able to give. Just your prayers are much appreciated because the people in our diocese are overwhelmed and things have been stressful … so we’re grateful.”

Pope proclaims year dedicated to St. Joseph

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St. Joseph and the Christ Child are depicted in a stained-glass window at Immaculate Conception Church in Westhampton Beach, N.Y. In a Dec. 8 apostolic letter, Pope Francis proclaimed a yearlong celebration dedicated to St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Marking the 150th anniversary of St. Joseph being declared patron of the universal church, Pope Francis proclaimed a yearlong celebration dedicated to the foster father of Jesus.
In a Dec. 8 apostolic letter, “Patris Corde” (“With a father’s heart”), the pope said Christians can discover in St. Joseph, who often goes unnoticed, “an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble.”
“St. Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all,” he said.
As Mary’s husband and guardian of the son of God, St. Joseph turned “his human vocation to domestic love into a superhuman oblation of himself, his heart and all his abilities, a love placed at the service of the Messiah who was growing to maturity in his home.”
Despite being troubled at first by Mary’s pregnancy, he added, St. Joseph was obedient to God’s will “regardless of the hardship involved.”
“In every situation, Joseph declared his own ‘fiat,’ like those of Mary at the Annunciation and Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane,” the pope said. “All this makes it clear that St. Joseph was called by God to serve the person and mission of Jesus directly through the exercise of his fatherhood and that, in this way, he cooperated in the fullness of time in the great mystery of salvation and is truly a minister of salvation.”
St. Joseph’s unconditional acceptance of Mary and his decision to protect her “good name, her dignity and her life” also serves as an example for men today, the pope added.
“Today, in our world where psychological, verbal and physical violence toward women is so evident, Joseph appears as the figure of a respectful and sensitive man,” he wrote.
Pope Francis also highlighted St. Joseph’s “creative courage,” not only in finding a stable and making it a “welcoming home for the son of God (who came) into the world,” but also in protecting Christ from the threat posed by King Herod.
“The Holy Family had to face concrete problems like every other family, like so many of our migrant brothers and sisters who, today, too, risk their lives to escape misfortune and hunger. In this regard, I consider St. Joseph the special patron of all those forced to leave their native lands because of war, hatred, persecution and poverty,” the pope said.
As a carpenter who earned “an honest living to provide for his family,” Christ’s earthly guardian is also an example for both workers and those seeking employment and the right to a life of dignity for themselves and their families.
“In our own day, when employment has once more become a burning social issue, and unemployment at times reaches record levels even in nations that for decades have enjoyed a certain degree of prosperity, there is a renewed need to appreciate the importance of dignified work, of which St. Joseph is an exemplary patron,” he said.
The Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican tribunal that deals with matters of conscience, also issued a decree Dec. 8 stating that plenary indulgences will be granted to Catholics not only through prayer and penance, but also through acts of justice, charity and piety dedicated to the foster father of Jesus.
Among the conditions for receiving an indulgence are a spirit detached from sin, receiving sacramental confession as soon as possible, receiving Communion as soon as possible and praying for the Holy Father’s intentions.
However, the decree also highlighted several ways to obtain the indulgence throughout the year, including to those who “meditate on the prayer of the ‘Our Father’ for at least 30 minutes or take part in a spiritual retreat of at least one day that includes a meditation on St. Joseph.”
As a “just man,” the document continued, who guarded “the intimate secret that lies at the bottom of the heart and soul,” St. Joseph practiced the virtue of justice in “full adherence to the divine law, which is the law of mercy.”
“Therefore, those who, following the example of St. Joseph, will perform a corporal or spiritual work of mercy, will also be able to obtain the gift of the plenary indulgence,” it said.
Indulgences will also be granted to families and engaged couples who recite the rosary together and thus imitate the “same climate of communion, love and prayer lived in the Holy Family. “
Other acts of devotion include entrusting one’s daily activities and prayers for dignified employment to St. Joseph, reciting the litany or any “legitimately approved” prayer to St. Joseph.
During this time of pandemic, the Apostolic Penitentiary also decreed that special indulgences will be granted to the elderly, the sick and all those who “for legitimate reasons are prevented from leaving their home” by “reciting an act of piety in honor of St. Joseph and committed to fulfilling the conditions as soon as possible.”

Called by name

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The Lord doesn’t require us to achieve a certain level of measurable success, but only to be faithful. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said this during her long life of ministry to the poor of India, and it is important that all of us take stock of that call at the end of this year.

In the Department of Vocations, success could very easily be measured: How many new seminarians do we have signed up for next year? It is tempting for me to take stock in this way, and yet constantly the Lord gives me examples of how success does not exist in hard numbers. In this year, my first year (or at least part of a year) as the full-time Vocation Director, I have seen our seminarians be formed into more virtuous men who look out for one another and have a deep love for the people of our diocese. I have watched as many discerners have experienced a taste of seminary life and have learned more about God’s call for them. I have spoken with many of you about sharing a vision for the future health of our diocese by supporting the mission of this department. There is one way in which worldly “success” can be measured, but there are many more ways that faithfulness can be measured.

Father Nick Adam
Father Nick Adam

Disciples of the Lord are known by the fruits that they produce in the world, and there have been many fruits born from this department this year. One of the greatest is the unity of the seminarians that we currently have and their dedication to praying for one another. In the summer Bishop Kopacz and seminarian Ryan Stoer came up with a plan to pray for one another more intentionally. On the first Thursday of every month, the seminarians, myself and Bishop Kopacz have committed to praying a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament from 6-7 a.m. Since we started this in August, we all have experienced an increase in our bond of charity that goes beyond a dinner together or shared experiences of formation. This is what I am most excited to share with you as we look toward a new year. I have no idea how many new seminarians we will have in the Fall of 2021, but I am hopeful. I am hopeful because the faith of the men who are a part of this mission with me and of so many of you who have helped financially and spiritually this year is strong.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Please pray for more laborers for the harvest, and pray that the men who are laboring now, including myself, remain faithful.

No pandemic can extinguish Christ’s light

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By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – No pandemic and no kind of crisis can extinguish the light of Christ, Pope Francis said.
May people let his light into their heart “and let us lend a hand to those who need it most. In this way God will be born anew in us and among us,” the pope said in his remarks after praying the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square Dec. 6.
From his studio window of the apostolic palace, the pope indicated the 92-foot-tall spruce tree already standing in the square and the work underway setting up this year’s Nativity scene.
“These two signs of Christmas are being prepared, to the delight of children and adults, too,” in many homes around the world, he said.
“They are signs of hope, especially in this difficult time,” the pope said.
However, it is essential that people go beyond the symbols and embrace their meaning, which is Jesus – “the infinite goodness” that God revealed and made shine on the world, he added.

Pope Francis leads the Angelus from the window of his studio overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Dec. 6, 2020. No pandemic and no kind of crisis can extinguish the light of Christ, the pope said to visitors gathered in the square. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

“There is no pandemic, there is no crisis that can extinguish this light,” he told the visitors who held umbrellas or were wearing rain gear under cloudy skies and alternating rain and drizzle.
Before the Angelus prayer, the pope spoke about Advent being a time to prepare for receiving the Lord at Christmas and, therefore, the need for conversion.
Conversion requires a change in “direction and orientation” as well as a change in one’s way of thinking.
One must be sorrowful for one’s sins and want to turn “from evil to good, from sin to love of God” forever, he said.
“To exclude sin, it is also necessary to reject everything that is connected to sin; the things that are connected to sin and that need to be rejected – a worldly mentality, excessive esteem for comforts, excessive esteem for pleasure, for well-being, for wealth,” he said.
Along with being detached from sin and worldliness, one must also be focused on searching for God and his kingdom, and seeking communion and friendship with God, he said.
“But this is not easy,” Pope Francis said.
“Temptation always pulls down, pulls down, and thus the ties that keep us close to sin: inconstancy, discouragement, malice, unwholesome environments, bad examples,” he said.
People may be tempted to become discouraged and believe it is impossible to truly convert.
“But it is possible” and people must avoid these discouraging thoughts as if they were “quicksand,” which will quickly mire one into a “mediocre existence.”
People must remind themselves that “no one can convert by his or own strength,” the pope said.
“It is a grace that the Lord gives you and thus we need to forcefully ask God for it” and “open ourselves up to the beauty, the goodness, the tenderness of God.”
“God is not a bad father, an unkind father, no. He is tender. He loves us so much, like the Good Shepherd, who searches for the last member of his flock,” the pope said.
“You begin to walk, because it is he who moves you to walk, and you will see how he will arrive. Pray, walk, and you will always take a step forward.”

COVID RESTRICTIONS

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UPDATED COVID RESTRICTIONS – AS OF DEC. 4, 2020

In light of the current surge of COVID-19 cases, the Diocese of Jackson has updated the restrictions for church gatherings. Please do everything you possibly can to enforce our safety protocols currently in place. We cannot stress enough the importance of these protocols being followed completely. We do not want to add to the burden of our already overwhelmed healthcare system. These heroes need our prayers, our cooperation, and our diligence every day.

To be transparent, we will be monitoring the situation closely and if protocols are not being followed and numbers of cases continue to spiral upward, we will be forced to suspend in person Masses again.

Effective immediately:
• All church gatherings other than Masses are suspended until further notice.
• All protocols currently in place for Masses must be strictly enforced.
• Social-distance church capacity numbers must be kept.
• Weddings, if scheduled, must be small and all present must wear a mask. This includes entire wedding party, priest or deacon, photographer, coordinator and guests.
• Funerals must be small and graveside only.
• Sacraments such as baptisms and confirmations if possible should be delayed until after the Baptism of the Lord in January.

COVID-19 REMINDER

All over the age of two are required to wear a mask to attend Mass.
The obligation to attend Mass continues to be dispensed by Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, so if you do not feel safe attending, or have an underlying health condition, or feel sick, please stay home. Be safe and stay vigilant!

PRAYER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO MARY FOR PROTECTION DURING THE PANDEMIC

“We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God.”

In the present tragic situation, when the whole world is prey to suffering and anxiety, we fly to you, Mother of God and our Mother, and seek refuge under your protection.

Virgin Mary, turn your merciful eyes towards us amid this coronavirus pandemic. Comfort those who are distraught and mourn their loved ones who have died, and at times are buried in a way that grieves them deeply. Be close to those who are concerned for their loved ones who are sick and who, in order to prevent the spread of the disease, cannot be close to them. Fill with hope those who are troubled by the uncertainty of the future and the consequences for the economy and employment.

Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us to God, the Father of mercies, that this great suffering may end and that hope and peace may dawn anew. Plead with your divine Son, as you did at Cana, so that the families of the sick and the victims be comforted, and their hearts be opened to confidence and trust.

Protect those doctors, nurses, health workers and volunteers who are on the frontline of this emergency, and are risking their lives to save others. Support their heroic effort and grant them strength, generosity and continued health.

Be close to those who assist the sick night and day, and to priests who, in their pastoral concern and fidelity to the Gospel, are trying to help and support everyone.

Blessed Virgin, illumine the minds of men and women engaged in scientific research, that they may find effective solutions to overcome this virus.

Support national leaders, that with wisdom, solicitude and generosity they may come to the aid of those lacking the basic necessities of life and may devise social and economic solutions inspired by farsightedness and solidarity.

Mary Most Holy, stir our consciences, so that the enormous funds invested in developing and stockpiling arms will instead be spent on promoting effective research on how to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.

Beloved Mother, help us realize that we are all members of one great family and to recognize the bond that unites us, so that, in a spirit of fraternity and solidarity, we can help to alleviate countless situations of poverty and need. Make us strong in faith, persevering in service, constant in prayer.

Mary, Consolation of the afflicted, embrace all your children in distress and pray that God will stretch out his allpowerful hand and free us from this terrible pandemic, so that life can serenely resume its normal course.

To you, who shine on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope, do we entrust ourselves, O Clement, O Loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.

In memorium: Sister Rita Joyce DiNardo

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ST. LOUIS – Sister Rita Joyce (Rita Joyce) DiNardo died at St. Vincent Medical Center in Evansville, Ind., on Dec. 11, 2020. Sister was born on June 5, 1940 in Detroit, Mich., and was one of three children of Giulio and Mary (Pesavento) DiNardo. She graduated from the High School of Commerce in Detroit in 1959 and entered the Daughters of Charity in Evansville in 1977.
After initial formation, Sister Rita Joyce was sent to teach at St. Francis de Sales School in Lake Zurich, Ill., until 1979 when she returned to Evansville to complete a B.S. degree in Elementary Education at Indiana State University. In 1982 she began her ministry as a teacher at Cathedral School in Natchez, Miss. (1982 to 1988) and then at St. James Major School in Prichard, Alabama. Sister then was sent to be a Pastoral Care Associate in LaSalle, Illinois and a Music Minister at St. Mary Parish (now Basilica) in Natchez, Mississippi (1993 to 1999).

In 2001, she began serving at Eastside Catholic Elementary and Corpus Christi School, both in Milwaukee, Wis. In 2003 she began teaching at St. Vincent Day Care Center in Evansville, Ind., and then served as a Secretary in the Vocation Office at Mater Dei Provincialate. She then was a Librarian at Providence Hospital and Medical Center in Southfield, Mich., and a Docent at Seton Shrine in Emmitsburg, Md. In 2011, she was missioned to St. Vincent Hospital and Health Services in Indianapolis, Ind., until she came to Seton Residence in Evansville in 2014 to serve in the Ministry of Prayer.
Sister Rita Joyce will be buried in St. Joseph Cemetery, and a Memorial Mass will take place at a later date. Sister was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Luigi DiNardo and her sister Cynthia Raciti. She is survived by her nieces and nephews (Carmine, Dean, Lorna, Mark, Ann Marie, Kevin) and their children, her Sisters in Community and many friends.

Calling a truce in the war on holly jolly

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AMID THE FRAY
By Greg Erlandson
You’ve heard about the war on Christmas. But have you heard about the war on holly jolly?
It’s a war my wife Corine has waged for some years now. It always starts the same way, my children will tell you. Something pushes her button – one too may grinning snowmen, one too many commercials where fabulously beautiful couples give each other cars with red bows on top, one too many images of idyllic consumerism, in other words.
When she snaps, she turns to whichever child is walking with her down some overstuffed department store aisle and says: “There are two kinds of Christmases, the spiritual and the holly jolly. And the holly jolly just drives people crazy.”

Greg Erlandson, director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, writes the CNS column “Amid the Fray.” (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

When challenged about her war on holly jolly, she may blame it on my father, who lambasted Christmas for its “forced gaity,” a phrase that is just begging to be adopted as the name of a sullen rock band.
The holly jolly is all the accoutrement of Christmas that has virtually nothing to do with the Christ Child’s arrival. It is all the stuff that, well, really ticked off the Grinch: All the noise, noise, noise and excessive fa la la.
My wife would say that the Grinch had a point. All the marketing images forced upon us for months on end with happy couples, happy children, happy pets all sharing in perfect “Xmas” delight doesn’t just sell us stuff. It can make us feel bad.
All sorts of people know that they are a long way from these images. At this irrationally exuberant time of year, they feel like they are failing if they aren’t equally exuberant as they struggle to live up to these expectations of holly jolly. Counselors tell us that rates of depression go way up around Christmas, and the internet is crowded with articles on how to relieve this stress.
This year, it has to be worse. We have a pandemic, isolation and unemployment on top of the normal pressures of the season.
Which is why I am proposing to my wife that we call a truce in the war on holly jolly. What I’ve been noticing this year is that people have been putting up lights earlier. Trees seem to be going up earlier too. Christmas music weeks and weeks before Christmas isn’t irritating. It’s soothing. The holly jolly aspect is maybe just what we need: It’s aromatherapy and light therapy for survivors of a dark and miserable year.
Holly jolly, in fact, may be one of the few signs of normalcy we’ve been able to enjoy this year. So let’s make the most of it. Bring out the gingerbread houses! Take cookies over to the neighbors! Put on an extra strand of lights! Turn off “The Crown” and the evening news and watch the Christmas classics. It is a wonderful life, after all, even now.
And at the same time, light the Advent wreath candles. Go to Mass once during the week. Bring in an extra bag of groceries for the food pantry or send a donation to your favorite charity. Don’t worry about doing 50 Christmas cards, but do 10. Enclose a personal note and send them to people who might really need a kind word.
And don’t forget that there are 12 days of Christmas, so keep the holly jolly going at least till Jan. 6. In fact, keep those Christmas lights up the whole month. Give your neighbors something to smile about.
It has been a rough year for so many of us. Let’s be kind to ourselves and to each other. I’m pretty sure that this year, it’s what the Christ Child would want.

(Greg Erlandson is the director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service.)

Guadalupe visited homes and found increased faith in her son

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By Berta Mexidor
JACKSON – Due to COVID-19, the annual celebrations of Our Lady of Guadalupe across the diocese were unable to be celebrated in the grand fashion of old, but they were still special, smaller gatherings.
Parishes complied with social distancing, safety and sanitization directives and carried out the well-known and loved novenaries, Santo Rosario, the song of the Mañanitas and the celebration Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe. These events were able to be shared far and wide via Zoom, FaceTime and live-streamed on social media.
This year the great processions and festive dancers were missed on streets throughout the diocese, but the devotees of Guadalupe continued passing on the story of our Lady of Guadalupe and the traditions to their children. The colorful, festive costumes worn to honor the Virgin by the children of immigrants are worn with pride, even though some of those traditions were held at home this year. Many import their costumes from Mexico and others, like the parents of Keila and Sujey Sanchez of Pontotoc spend days paying attention to every small detail to bring the story of Guadalupe to life, which included masks this year.