By Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) – The U.S. Catholic Church’s observance of October as Respect Life Month “is a time to focus on God’s precious gift of human life and our responsibility to care for, protect and defend the lives of our brothers and sisters,” said the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee. “Live the Gospel of Life” is this year’s theme for the month, prompted by commemorations of the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s encyclical “The Gospel of Life” (“Evangelium Vitae”), which was issued March 25, 1995. “Pope John Paul’s masterfully articulated defense of the right to life for children in their mothers’ wombs, the elderly, persons with disabilities and the marginalized is more relevant today than ever before,” said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Respect Life Sunday fell on Oct. 4. New parish resources for the month’s observance have been developed around the theme of “Living the Gospel of Life” and are available at www.respectlife.org. “‘The Gospel of Life’ provides a blueprint for building a culture of life and civilization of love,” the archbishop said in a Sept. 24 statement. “The important work of transforming our culture begins by allowing the Gospel of Christ to touch and transform our own hearts and the decisions we make.” Archbishop Naumann noted that during their fall general assembly last November, “the U.S. bishops reaffirmed that ‘the threat of abortion remains our preeminent priority because it directly attacks life itself, because it takes place within the sanctuary of the family, and because of the number of lives destroyed.'” “While we noted not to ‘dismiss or ignore other serious threats to human life and dignity such as racism, the environmental crisis, poverty and the death penalty,’ we renewed our commitment to protect the most fundamental of all human rights – the right to live,” he said. Archbishop Naumann also recalled how in January of this year he “shared with Pope Francis that the bishops of the United States had been criticized by some for identifying the protection of the unborn as a preeminent priority.” Their conversation came during the “ad limina” meeting of the bishops from Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska at the Vatican. “The Holy Father expressed his support for our efforts observing that if we fail to protect life, no other rights matter. Pope Francis also said that abortion is not primarily a Catholic or even a religious issue, it is first and foremost a human rights issue,” the Kansas archbishop said in his Sept. 24 statement. Later this January, the archbishop relayed that story to pro-lifers gathered for the Jan. 23 opening Mass of the National Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Pope Francis “has our backs” in the pro-life cause, he said in his homily. “May we strive to imitate Christ and follow in his footsteps, caring for the most vulnerable among us,” he said Sept. 24. “Through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, may Our Lord grant us the grace to live courageously and faithfully his Gospel of life.
JACKSON – A partnership between St. James parish Gulfport in the Diocese of Biloxi and the Office of Family Ministry for the Diocese of Jackson have brought billboards asking all to “Choose Life” throughout the state. The billboards are located in Jackson, Batesville, Natchez, Gulfport, Biloxi, Bay St. Louis, Long Beach, Ocean Springs, and Hattiesburg. The initiative has even reached Mobile, Alabama; Lafayette, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Dallas, Texas; Destin, Florida; and Columbia, South Carolina. Pictured is the billboard in Jackson .3 miles south of Briarwood Drive on the east side of I-55 North. The U.S. Catholic Church observes October as Respect Life Month. If you would like to learn more about this initiative contact charlene.bearden@jacksondiocese.org. (Photo courtesy of Charlene Bearden)
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Human beings must change their relationship with nature and view it not as an “object for unscrupulous use and abuse” but as a gift they are charged by God to care for and protect, Pope Francis said. People are called to contemplate creation as a reflection of “God’s infinite wisdom and goodness” and not act as if people are the “center of everything” and the “absolute rulers of all other creatures,” the pope said Sept. 16 during his weekly general audience. “Exploiting creation – this is sin,” he said. “We believe that we are at the center, claiming to occupy God’s place and thus we ruin the harmony of creation, the harmony of God’s design. We become predators, forgetting our vocation as guardians of life.” The audience was held in the San Damaso courtyard of the Apostolic Palace. While the pope maintained his distance when greeting most of the faithful, he approached several pilgrims to sign autographs, speak directly to them or briefly swap his signature zucchetto for one brought as a gift. Continuing his series of talks on “healing the world,” the pope reflected on the theme of “caring for the common home and contemplative attitude.” Contemplation, he said, is the best “antidote against the disease of not taking care of the common home” and falling “into an unbalanced and arrogant anthropocentrism,” in which humans place themselves and their needs “at the center of everything.”
Pope Francis greets the crowd as he arrives for his general audience in the San Damaso courtyard at the Vatican Sept. 16, 2020. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
“It is important to recover the contemplative dimension, that is, to look at the earth, at creation as a gift, not as something to be exploited for profit,” the pope said. “When we contemplate, we discover in others and in nature something much greater than their usefulness.” Departing from his prepared remarks, the pope warned that those who are incapable of contemplating nature and creation, are often incapable of contemplating their fellow human beings. “Those who live to exploit nature, end up exploiting people and treating them like slaves,” the pope said. “This is a universal law: if you do not know how to contemplate nature, it will be very difficult for you to contemplate people, the beauty of people, your brother, your sister.” Recalling a Spanish proverb, the pope also cautioned that exploiting creation brings costly consequences because “God always forgives; we forgive sometimes; (but) nature never forgives.” Citing a recent report that the Pine Island and Thwates glaciers in Antarctica are collapsing due to global warming, Pope Francis said the consequential rising sea levels “will be terrible,” and he called on people to “guard the inheritance God has entrusted to us so that future generations can enjoy it.” “Each one of us can and must become a guardian of the common home, capable of praising God for his creatures (by) contemplating them and protecting them,” the pope said.
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis asked members of the United Nations how they think they can respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and build a more peaceful, more just world when many of their countries spend billions on military weapons and when their treatment of the unborn, of refugees and of women shows so little respect for human life. “We must ask ourselves if the principal threats to peace and security – poverty, epidemics, terrorism and so many others – can be effectively countered when the arms race, including nuclear weapons, continues to squander precious resources that could better be used to benefit the integral development of peoples and protect the natural environment,” the pope said in his video address, which was broadcast Sept. 25. On the fifth anniversary of his visit to the U.N. in New York, Pope Francis returned to themes he has repeated since the COVID-19 pandemic began: Humanity faces a choice between trying to go back to an often unjust “normal” or taking the opportunity to rethink economic and political policies, putting the good of all people and the environment ahead of concern for maintaining the lifestyles of wealthy individuals and nations. He drew particular attention to the pandemic’s impact on children, “including unaccompanied young migrants and refugees,” as well as to reports that “violence against children, including the horrible scourge of child abuse and pornography, has also dramatically increased.” With millions of children still out of school, he said, there is a risk of “an increase in child labor, exploitation, abuse and malnutrition.”
Pope Francis delivers a prerecorded address to the 75th session of the U.N. General Assembly; the recording from the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace was aired Sept. 25, 2020. (CNS screenshot/Chaz Muth)
“Sad to say, some countries and international institutions are also promoting abortion as one of the so-called ‘essential services’ provided in the humanitarian response to the pandemic,” he said. “It is troubling to see how simple and convenient it has become for some to deny the existence of a human life as a solution to problems that can and must be solved for both the mother and her unborn child.” Pope Francis insisted that addressing the pandemic and building a more just and equitable world involves looking at every aspect of national and international life. The pandemic “can represent a concrete opportunity for conversion, for transformation, for rethinking our way of life and our economic and social systems, which are widening the gap between rich and poor based on an unjust distribution of resources,” he said. Or “the pandemic can be the occasion for a ‘defensive retreat’ into greater individualism and elitism.” The latter path, he said, “emphasizes self-sufficiency, nationalism, protectionism, individualism and isolation; it excludes the poor, the vulnerable and those dwelling on the peripheries of life. That path would certainly be detrimental to the whole community, causing self-inflicted wounds on everyone. It must not prevail.” When companies, including those being assisted by government handouts during the pandemic, focus more on profits than on job creation, they contribute to the “throwaway culture,” which treats people as less important than wealth, he said. “At the origin of this throwaway culture is a gross lack of respect for human dignity, the promotion of ideologies with reductive understandings of the human person, a denial of the universality of fundamental human rights, and a craving for absolute power and control that is widespread in today’s society,” he said. “Let us name this for what it is: an attack against humanity itself.” The pope called on countries to work together to fulfill the ideals upon which the U.N. was founded 75 years ago, particular in peacemaking, defending human rights and caring for the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged. “It is in fact painful to see the number of fundamental human rights that in our day continue to be violated with impunity,” he said, speaking of a “frightening picture of a humanity abused, wounded, deprived of dignity, freedom and hope for the future.” “Religious believers continue to endure every kind of persecution, including genocide, because of their beliefs,” he said. “We Christians, too, are victims of this: how many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world are suffering, forced at times to flee from their ancestral lands, cut off from their rich history and culture.” But the pope also drew special attention to situation of refugees, migrants and the internally displaced fleeing conflict, persecution and extreme poverty. In an apparent reference to the situation in the Mediterranean, he denounced how “thousands are intercepted at sea and forcibly returned to detention camps, where they meet with torture and abuse. Many of these become victims of human trafficking, sexual slavery or forced labor, exploited in degrading jobs and denied a just wage. This is intolerable, yet intentionally ignored by many!” Nations have entered into regional and international agreements to assist migrants and refugees, but often are lacking the political support at home to make them a reality or the countries just “shirk their responsibilities and commitments,” he said. “The pandemic has shown us that we cannot live without one another, or worse still, (be) pitted against one another,” Pope Francis insisted. “The United Nations was established to bring nations together, to be a bridge between peoples. Let us make good use of this institution in order to transform the challenge that lies before us into an opportunity to build together, once more, the future we all desire.”
By Tricia Harris MADISON – The Journalism Education Association at Kansas State University has named St. Joseph Catholic School teacher Terry Cassreino one of the nation’s top three high school broadcast journalism advisers for 2020. The JEA named Cassreino a Special Recognition Advisor – part of the organization’s annual Broadcast Adviser of the Year Awards. The JEA, founded in 1924, is a national organization for high school print and broadcast journalism teachers. “I can’t begin to say how honored I am that a successful high school journalism program at a small Catholic school in Mississippi has received this important national recognition,” Cassreino said. “This award reflects well on St. Joseph Catholic School as well as the hard-working, dedicated high school journalism students I have been lucky to teach over the years – some of whom have gone on to study journalism, accounting and law in college.”
Cassreino was one of three journalism teachers JEA honored. Jim McCarthy of Joseph A. Gregori High School in Modesto, Calif., was named Broadcast Advisor of the Year and Christina Insua of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami was named Distinguished Broadcast Adviser. Journalism is one of several electives available for St. Joe students. Those who take the class publish a yearbook every fall, The Shield; maintain, write and edit stories for a news website, The Bear Facts; and produce a weekly video newscast, Bruin News Now. Students also produce a weekly radio show and podcast, “The Bruin Buzz Live,” and produce live radio broadcasts and live video streaming coverage of Bruin sports. Radio productions air on WJXC Jackson, Mississippi Catholic Radio, 107.9, whose studio is in Cassreino’s classroom. Cassreino’s students and their work have received state, national and even international recognition. Students have been named the state’s high school journalist of the year and received the prestigious Orley Hood Award for Excellence in High School Sports Journalism six of the seven years it has been given. Bruin News Now has been named Mississippi’s best high school newscast twice and been a finalist three other times. This year, Quill & Scroll International Honor Society for High School Journalists awarded BNN second place in an international competition for best news show. Cassreino is a four-time Mississippi high school journalism adviser of the year and has been recognized twice by the Dow Jones News Fund as one of the nation’s top print journalism teachers. Cassreino is a former longtime journalist with more than 25 years of experience as a reporter, political columnist and editor at Mississippi newspapers. He is married to the former Pam Vance of Canton; they have two children and are members of St. Joseph Catholic Gluckstadt. “We are so proud of Terry Cassreino’s work with students here at St. Joe,” Principal Dena Kinsey said. “Our journalism students are excited about what they do and work tirelessly to produce high-quality work.”
JACKSON – Whether it’s on the phone, through our social media page, from referral sources, family, friends, or from the woman herself; not a day goes by that Kelli Leo, program director of Born Free Primary Residential and New Beginnings Transititional Residential of Catholic Charities, doesn’t hear about someone in desperate need of treatment. Also, not just any treatment, but treatment specifically designed for pregnant and parenting women with substance use disorders. This unique place exists on the outskirts of Jackson in a beautiful wooded, secluded area where anyone visiting can feel the peace and serenity as soon as they step out of their vehicle. Born Free and New Beginnings, were the first programs designed in the state of Mississippi for pregnant and parenting women identifying with a substance use disorder. Born Free has identified its mission to provide a safe place and service for pregnant women to give birth and for parenting women to reunite and bond with their children as a way to interrupt the cycle of trauma and addiction. Born Free/New Beginnings strives to assist pregnant and parenting women in developing coping skills that will enable them to envelop a healthier lifestyle free of substance use for themselves and their children.
Courtesy of Bigstock
Addiction places two lives in jeopardy when a woman is pregnant – the mother and her baby. What would it be like for a pregnant woman to have access to a treatment facility made just for her and baby? A place where she is safe and protected and is able to get access to prenatal care? Born Free is that place developed specifically for her designed to help meet her needs and lower birth risks. Since the birth of Born Free in 1994, over 100 babies have been born substance free while their mothers received treatment. Another innovative aspect of Born Free/New Beginnings is that a young child can reside at the facility while his mother undergoes treatment which in turn, strengthens family bonding. Most mothers who complete the treatment program regain custody of their children which has resulted in the unification of families across the state. Established in 1996, New Beginnings, is a long term transitional treatment program for women who are at least 18 years old, identified as chemically dependent, pregnant and/or parenting females bringing up to two small children under the age of five with them into the program. Many women in recovery are concerned about their ability to gain employment, find a suitable and safe place to live, identify child-care resources and many other obstacles when they are attempting to get back onto their feet. The focus of New Beginnings is to provide transitional treatment services to pregnant and parenting women who have successfully completed a 30 day primary treatment program. The transitional services include: group and individual counseling, recovery support, referral for employment services, educational /vocational referral, housing referrals, parenting education, life skills training, aftercare planning, and family counseling. For additional information, please contact Kelli Leo, program director at 601-922-0026. To complete an intake, call 601-922-0026 and speak to any person answering the phone.
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia in many countries, and questions concerning what is morally permissible regarding end-of-life care, the Vatican’s doctrinal office released a 25-page letter offering “a moral and practical clarification” on the care of vulnerable patients. “The church is convinced of the necessity to reaffirm as definitive teaching that euthanasia is a crime against human life because, in this act, one chooses directly to cause the death of another innocent human being,” the document said. Titled, “’Samaritanus bonus,’ on the Care of Persons in the Critical and Terminal Phases of Life,” the letter by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was approved by Pope Francis in June, and released to the public Sept. 22. A new, “systematic pronouncement by the Holy See” was deemed necessary given a growing, global trend in legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide, and changing attitudes and rules that harm the dignity of vulnerable patients, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, congregation prefect, said at a Vatican news conference Sept. 22. It was also necessary to reaffirm church teaching regarding the administration of the sacraments to and pastoral care of patients who expressly request a medical end to their life, he said.
A patient is pictured in a file photo chatting with a nun at Rosary Hill Home, a Dominican-run facility in Hawthorne, N.Y., that provides palliative care to people with incurable cancer and have financial need. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)
“In order to receive absolution in the sacrament of penance, as well as with the anointing of the sick and the viaticum,” he said, the patients must demonstrate their intention to reverse their decision to end their life and to cancel their registration with any group appointed to grant their desire for euthanasia or assisted suicide. In the letter’s section on “Pastoral discernment toward those who request euthanasia or assisted suicide,” it said a “priest could administer the sacraments to an unconscious person ‘sub condicione’ if, on the basis of some signal given by the patient beforehand, he can presume his or her repentance.” The church’s ministers can still accompany patients who have made these end-of-life directives, it added, by showing “a willingness to listen and to help, together with a deeper explanation of the nature of the sacrament, in order to provide the opportunity to desire and choose the sacrament up to the last moment.” It is important to carefully look for “adequate signs of conversion, so that the faithful can reasonably ask for the reception of the sacraments. To delay absolution is a medicinal act of the church, intended not to condemn, but to lead the sinner to conversion,” it said. However, it added, “those who spiritually assist these persons should avoid any gesture, such as remaining until the euthanasia is performed, that could be interpreted as approval of this action.” Chaplains, too, must show care “in the health care systems where euthanasia is practiced, for they must not give scandal by behaving in a manner that makes them complicit in the termination of human life,” the letter said. Another warning in the letter regarded medical end-of-life protocols, such as “do not resuscitate orders” or “physician orders for life-sustaining treatment” and any of their variations. These protocols “were initially thought of as instruments to avoid aggressive medical treatment in the terminal phases of life. Today, these protocols cause serious problems regarding the duty to protect the life of patients in the most critical stages of sickness,” it said. On the one hand, it said, “medical staff feel increasingly bound by the self-determination expressed in patient declarations that deprive physicians of their freedom and duty to safeguard life even where they could do so.” “On the other hand, in some health care settings, concerns have recently arisen about the widely reported abuse of such protocols viewed in a euthanistic perspective with the result that neither patients nor families are consulted in final decisions about care,” it said. “This happens above all in the countries where, with the legalization of euthanasia, wide margins of ambiguity are left open in end-of-life law regarding the meaning of obligations to provide care.” The church, however, “is obliged to intervene in order to exclude once again all ambiguity in the teaching of the magisterium concerning euthanasia and assisted suicide, even where these practices have been legalized,” it said. Euthanasia involves “an action or an omission which of itself or by intention causes death, in order that all pain may in this way be eliminated.” Its definition depends on “the intention of the will and in the methods used,” it added. The letter reaffirmed that “any formal or immediate material cooperation in such an act is a grave sin against human life,” making euthanasia “an act of homicide that no end can justify and that does not tolerate any form of complicity or active or passive collaboration.” For that reason, “those who approve laws of euthanasia and assisted suicide, therefore, become accomplices of a grave sin that others will execute. They are also guilty of scandal because by such laws they contribute to the distortion of conscience, even among the faithful.” The letter also underlined a patient’s right to decline aggressive medical treatment and “die with the greatest possible serenity and with one’s proper human and Christian dignity intact” when approaching the natural end of life. “The renunciation of treatments that would only provide a precarious and painful prolongation of life can also mean respect for the will of the dying person as expressed in advanced directives for treatment, excluding however every act of a euthanistic or suicidal nature,” it said. However, it also underlined the rights of physicians as never being “a mere executor of the will of patients or their legal representatives, but retains the right and obligation to withdraw at will from any course of action contrary to the moral good discerned by conscience.” Other aspects of end-of-life care the letter detailed included: the obligation to provide basic care of nutrition and hydration; the need for holistic palliative care; support for families and hospice care; the required accompaniment and care for unborn and newly-born children diagnosed with a terminal disease; the use of “deep palliative sedation”; obligation of care for patients in a “vegetative state” or with minimal consciousness; and conscientious objection by health care workers.
By Kurt Jensen The Sept. 10 announcement of the theme for the March for Life – “Together Strong: Life Unites” – made it clear the annual national event, in some form, will proceed next Jan. 29. But details of how the march, rally and pro-life conference, which together have drawn as many as 100,000 participants in past years, will cope with COVID-19 self-quarantine restrictions in the District of Columbia were not part of the announcement. Asked on EWTN’s “Pro-Life Weekly” program that evening about whether people should start making plans, Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said: “You know, everybody has to make that decision on their own. You know, considering their own situations, et cetera.”
WASHINGTON – Pictured left to right, Cole Turner, Isabelle Comfort, Maggie Henderson and Alexia Balderas of the Catholic Campus Ministry of Mississippi State at the 2020 March for Life event. March for Life is set to take place on Jan. 29, 2021 with the theme ‘Together Strong: Life Unites.’ (Photo courtesy of Meg Ferguson)
She added, “But I certainly would be (making plans), and I obviously will be there this year. I think that standing for life and standing for inherent human dignity of every life from conception to natural death is all the more important this year when there is so much unrest, so much division in our country. We need to show that we are stronger together and that love and life unite us. They make us stronger.” In July, Mancini had said “we will continue to discern throughout this year what steps should be taken,” regarding pandemic restrictions. Social distancing and masks aren’t the issue. Washington health authorities require a 14-day self-quarantine for visitors “participating in nonessential travel” from high-risk areas. The quarantine is adjusted every two weeks, and as of Sept. 8, was extended to visitors from 30 states. That’s a particular obstacle for the many high school and college groups who arrive on long-distance bus rides which have, over the decades, become the pulse of the event. “If D.C. is still requiring a two-week quarantine for out-of-state travelers, I don’t see a way for us to attend,” said Ed Konieczka, assistant director of university ministry at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. “We are taking care of the details that we can, and recognizing which things are out of our control.” The university typically sends around 200 students and staff members to the march, and in 2018, some 20 students flanked President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden at the White House when he addressed the Mall rally on a video link. This past January, Trump addressed the rally in person, becoming the first president to do so. The alternative to a Washington trip, Konieczka said, will be a rally that day in Bismarck. “We have been approached by the Diocese of Bismarck with a request to coordinate efforts to have the biggest March for Life event ever at our state capital. We have a shared vision for a large event, where any of our students unable to travel to D.C. will join with members of the diocese.” Planners of state marches face the same uncertainty. “Right now with COVID and the restrictions, we are playing it by ear in Chicago,” said Denise Zabor, office manager for Illinois Right to Life. March for Life has taken place in Washington every January since 1974. It’s always held on a date near the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 1973 rulings, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, which legalized abortion on demand.
Pro-life advocates gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court Jan. 27, 2017, during the annual March for Life in Washington. Officials with the March for Life organization in Washington announced Sept. 10, 2020, the theme for the 2021 national rally and march marking the Roe anniversary will be “Together Strong: Life Unites.” The event will take place in some form Jan. 29. (CNS photo/Leslie E. Kossoff)
“I believe it’s the rallying point for all of pro-life America,” said Dave Bereit, the founder of 40 Days for Life, who co-hosted the theme announcement with Mancini. The announcement video included a cameo from Vice President Mike Pence, a longtime supporter of the March for Life, who said: “Stand for life. Because life is winning.” On Sept. 3, the Trump campaign, in a letter to a coalition calling itself “Pro-Life Voices for Trump,” cited how the president has been “transforming the federal judiciary” by appointing federal judges and Supreme Court justices “who would not legislate an abortion agenda from the bench.” The letter also promised to work for the passage of what’s called the “pain-capable” abortion ban, which has criminal penalties for abortions performed when an unborn child is in at least the 20th week of gestation; supporters of the measure cite scientific research showing a fetus at that stage can feel pain. Passage has been blocked by House Democrats and the threat of a Democratic filibuster in the Senate. Trump also expressed support for the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act sponsored by Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, which would codify an end to federal funding for abortion such as that received by Planned Parenthood.
(Editor’s Note: The March for Life website, https://marchforlife.org, provides visitors to the site a way to sign up for updates on the Jan. 29 event.)
By Ann Rodgers LOS ANGELES – Jada Fortunato was single, 19 and working her way through college when she became pregnant. Statistically, that scenario often ends in abortion. Fortunato expected to sacrifice college to support her child. She didn’t have to make that choice, however, because a family friend told her about Mercy House, a support center for struggling families in the Archdiocese of Newark. “Everyone was welcoming there,” said Fortunato, now 21, of North Arlington, New Jersey, as 2-year-old Giovanni babbled in the background. “When I was pregnant, I received assistance with food. And once I had the baby, I received a lot of help. I was getting formula, I was getting diapers, wipes, a car seat and one of those bouncy seats. I would definitely have struggled without their assistance.”
This logo is included in the materials for “Walking With Moms in Need: A Year of Service” from March 25, 2020, through March 25, 2021. The U.S. bishops are inviting the parishes in their dioceses to join in this national initiative, which Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said intensifies the church’s long-standing pastoral response to “the needs of women facing pregnancies in challenging circumstances.” (CNS photo/USCCB)
She was fortunate that someone in her circle told her where to find help. Because that connection is missing for many women with crisis pregnancies, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) created “Walking with Moms in Need: A Year of Service.” The initiative calls for parishes to inventory local resources for pregnant women and young families, reach out in friendship to those who are marginalized, identify unmet needs, create solutions, and make sure parishioners know where to direct women and families in need. “It’s the sort of thing everyone can get behind because it’s something that unites us,” said Kat Talalas, assistant director of pro-life communications at the bishops’ conference. “We love all people, we care for the vulnerable. It brings people together and helps us focus on something really important, regardless of where you fall on the spectrum of personal ideology.” “Walking with Moms” was slated to launch March 25, the 25th anniversary of St. Pope John Paul II’s pro-life encyclical, “Evangelium Vitae” (“The Gospel of Life”). The timing, it seems, could not have been worse. That month, much of the country went into lockdown due to the coronavirus. Parish activities shut down. Some dioceses forged ahead, gathering information remotely. Others modified the initiative and many have suspended it until parishes are ready to move forward. That’s all fine, because “Walking with Moms” was always intended to adapt to local situations, Talalas said. The secretariat of Pro-Life Activities has continued offering support, such as a COVID-related implementation webinar. In the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Bishop David Walkowiak had just launched Walking with Moms when COVID struck. “He sent the letter encouraging the priests to get involved and then everything — well, there was no follow up,” said D.J. Florian, director of the diocesan Office of Pastoral Services. Next month, the diocese plans to pick up where it left off. “October is a great time, with Respect Life Month already on the books,” he said. For Charlene Bearden, coordinator of the Office of Family Ministry in the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi, “Walking with Moms” answered her prayer for a ministry that would protect unborn children while supporting their mothers and families. A former corporate project manager with information technology skills, by February she had mapped a plan out for the diocese, customizable for each parish. Bishop Joseph Kopacz provided strong leadership. “He is involved every step of the way. It makes a grand difference,” she said. When COVID struck, Bearden worked from home on “Walking with Moms.” She sought intercession from Servant of God Sister Thea Bowman, a champion of social justice who Bearden had known, and compiled a 76-page resource on available social services. She is updating it and will soon survey all parishes about their ability to move forward. “I was never tempted not to continue with this project,” she said. “I just had this passion that it was something that had to be done and it was more necessary now than ever. What is a pregnant woman thinking now, when a lot of pregnancy care places suspended their services? They are really in need and where can they go?” In the Diocese of Pittsburgh, where Catholic Charities runs “Walking with Moms,” information-gathering also continued during lockdown, with help from a summer intern. Volunteers will continue the work. “It meets a great need,” said Marion Ahlers, director of marketing and communications. “It’s not difficult work and the payout — this may sound cliché, but the payout is eternal. It’s 15 minutes on the phone to understand what’s available, what services can be provided. It’s about getting information to people when they need it. And that’s huge.” In addition to helping women and families, the inventory is helping Catholic Charities to identify unmet needs across the six-county diocese. “There isn’t a complete or consistent breadth of services across our region. We want to understand where the deficits are,” she said. It is also strengthening the bond between Catholic Charities and parishes as parish leaders learn about the wide array of services the agency provides to anyone in need, she said. In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Gina Vides, the parish engagement strategist for the Office of Life, Justice and Peace, has seen the need for grassroots networking. A few years ago, Vides discovered that a large parish with a robust pro-life ministry was unaware of a stellar crisis-pregnancy center just down the road. The parish had been so busy with its own activities that it took no notice. “Networking is so important and ‘Moms in Need’ pushes for it,” she said. After pursuing networking in Los Angeles for years, she has advice for others. While the inventory of social services must be far broader than crisis-pregnancy centers, it’s essential to listen to the directors of those centers. Their insights are so valuable that the Office for Life, Justice and Peace meets with them quarterly, Vides said. The pregnancy center directors emphasize that pregnancy itself usually isn’t the main problem. For instance, the majority of women who have abortions in California already have children. Their biggest concern is how to care for them. “Some women are afraid to lose their jobs,” she said. “Single women with children have one or two jobs and you’re afraid to tell your boss that you’re pregnant. You need to understand that you have rights in the workplace.” A woman with a crisis pregnancy “needs more than counseling. She needs wrap-around services for herself, her unborn child, and any other children that she has,” Vides said. Many programs that help pregnant women don’t carry the “pro-life” label, she said. The St. Vincent de Paul Society, which is active in many parishes, is a prime example. “If you think of ‘Moms in Need’ and you’re not thinking of St. Vincent de Paul, then let’s promote them,” Vides said. “They regularly assist families with rent, clothes, shoes, beds, cribs. If you need diapers or milk, you call St. Vincent de Paul.” In the Archdiocese of Newark, where Fortunato received help through Mercy House, Cheryl Riley had just taken a call from a woman who was contemplating an abortion due to economic stress. “That’s why Mercy House was founded. Finances should never be an excuse for an abortion in the Archdiocese of Newark,” said Riley, director of the archdiocesan Respect Life Office. “They’re scared,” she said of the women who call. “How will I feed my baby? How will I get diapers? Sometimes they just need a package of wipes. That’s what we do.” Mercy House will also step in with rental assistance and utilities. It provides bags of food, giving away 50 one day last week alone. If someone can’t get to Mercy House, Mercy House will send help to them. The staff also encourages parents — who typically aren’t married — to engage with a parish and have their babies baptized. “Every parish knows that, if there is someone in need, they send them to us.” Even as the lockdown lifts, Riley sees greater needs ahead. “We are going to see a lot of COVID babies,” she said. While “Walking with Moms” is on pause in many dioceses, “COVID-19 has highlighted the great challenges for moms in need,” said Talalas, at the U.S. bishops’ conference. “In many cases their situation got worse with the pandemic, at the same time that many agencies had to reduce services. There is an increase in demand for help and a greater need for parishes to coalesce around helping pregnant and parenting moms. We encourage parishes and dioceses and individuals to pick up the mantle for ‘Walking with Moms’ and make it a priority.”
METAIRIE, La. Healing Mini-Conference, Nov. 13-14 at St. Angela Merici Church. Presenter: Sister Briege McKenna and is well-known for her ministry of praying for healing. She has authored a book entitled Miracles Do Happen, giving accounts of extraordinary healings she was witnessed. There will be three sessions: Friday night from 7-9:30 p.m.; Saturday morning 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Saturday night from 7-9:30 p.m. Cost: Adults – $15 per person per session; Youths (under 18) – $5 per person per session. Pre-registration is required. Because of social distancing, seating is limited to approximately 300. Details: www.ccrno.org, info@ccrno.org or (504) 828-1368. NEW ORLEANS Our Lady of the Cenacle Retreat Center, Women’s Retreat, “Jesus the Christ: Wisdom, Beauty and Love in the Storm,” Oct. 23-25. The retreat begins with check-in from 3-6 p.m. on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Presenter: Sister Janet Franklin, a Sister of St. Joseph. She has been engaged in spirituality ministry for over 40 years. Cost: $350. Because of the special circumstances due to COVID-19, no deposit is required to register. Full payment will be collected upon arrival at the retreat center. Details: to register, contact Susan Halligan at (504) 267-9604 or https://www.neworleansretreats.org/retreats. If you need financial assistance, contact Kim Gandolfi at (504) 887-1420. Our Lady of the Cenacle Retreat Center, Men’s Retreat – “Relying on Faith in Times of Struggle,” Oct. 30 – Nov. 1. The retreat begins with check-in at 3pm on Friday and concludes after lunch on Sunday. Presenters: Dr. Paul Ceasar and Darryl Ducote on finding hope and direction through insights from psychology and our beliefs. Because of the special circumstances due to COVID-19, no deposit is required to register. Full payment will be collected upon arrival at the retreat center. Details: to register, contact Susan Halligan at (504) 267-9604 or https://www.neworleansretreats.org/retreats. If you need financial assistance, contact Kim Gandolfi at (504) 887-1420.
PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS
CLARKSDALE St. Elizabeth, Trunk or Treat and Canned Food Drive, Sunday, Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. in the parking lot. All are welcome. Come dressed in your fun costumes and bring some canned food for the Clarksdale Care Station. Details: (662) 624-4301. JACKSON St. Richard, Coffee & Creed meets on Sunday mornings at 9:15 a.m. in Glynn Hall. They are currently doing a retreat series from Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Please remember to wear a mask. Details: church office (601) 366-2335. MERIDIAN Catholic Community of St. Joseph and St. Patrick, Due to COVID-19 and current safety guidelines, St. Joseph’s October fest is cancelled. We look forward to seeing everyone next year on the first Saturday of Oct. in 2021. Details: (662) 693-1321. NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, to mark both Respect Life Month and to honor Mary’s request, Rosary for Life will be in the Basilica Prayer Garden across from the Family Life Center, Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 5:15 p.m. We will pray the rosary with special prayer intentions for the protection of life. In case of inclement weather, the rosary will be held in the Basilica. Details: church office (601) 445-5616. St. Mary Basilica, Period of Inquiry: Getting Acquainted. They will meet on Thursdays, Oct. 15: Jesus Christ: True God and True Man; Oct. 22: Jesus Christ: Redeemer and Savior; Oct. 29 – The Holy Spirit; and Nov. 5 – Church: Nature and Mission. Individuals who seek to know more about the church are called inquirers. In many cases, they have been attracted to the church by a Catholic friend or spouse whose life has witnessed to the love, generosity and peace of Jesus. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.
YOUTH BRIEFS
GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd is back Sundays 9:15-10:15 a.m. in the CGS room in the parish hall. Class is for children 3-6 years old. Details: (662) 335-5251. JACKSON Sister Thea Bowman School, 14th Annual Draw Down (done virtually), Saturday, Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Cost: $100 and optional second chance insurance for $20 per ticket. Grand prize: $5000. Proceeds will be used for instructional materials and operational expenses. Details: contact Shae Goodman-Robinson at (601) 352-5441 or principal@theabowmanschool.com for more information or to purchase a ticket. MERIDIAN St. Patrick, the Youth Group (6th-12th Grades) meets every 2nd and 4th Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Family Life Center. Details: Angela Dove at (601) 693-1321 Ext 8 or angela@catholicmeridian.org. St. Patrick School, The Parent School Association (PSA) is sponsoring a raffle and will be giving away a $250 Walmart gift card. Cost: tickets are $2 each. It is a great fundraiser to help the school. Drawing will be Friday, Oct. 16. You can purchase tickets from students, PSA members and the school or church office. Details: school office (601) 482-6044.
COVID-19 REMINDER
All over the age of two are required to wear a mask at 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!
COLUMBUS – Mrs. Moore’s fourth graders at Annunciation School worked to create a large timeline for Mississippi history events. (Photos by Katie Fenstermacher)
Learning is yummy
CLARKSDALE – Learning is fun (and yummy) in Mrs. Curcio’s first grade math class at St. Elizabeth School. Student Bowen Anderson sorts and graphs using skittles. (Photo by Mary Evelyn Stonestreet)
Southaven silly socks
SOUTHAVEN – Students celebrated the 73rd anniversary of Sacred Heart School with crazy sock and shoe day on Sept. 16. (Photo by Sister Margaret Sue Broker)
Field day fun in Natchez
NATCHEZ – On Sept. 13, St. Mary’s CYO members had some field day fun at Memorial Park behind St. Mary Basilica. (Photo by Carrie Lambert)
Sacraments
FLOWOOD – Mariah Grace Morris St. Paul Catholic Church received the Sacrament of First Communion on Aug. 9. (Photo by Jamie Morris)
GREENWOOD – Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, First Communion, Aug. 16, Left to Right: Orla Barnes with sponsor Jessica Barnes; Lucy Hicks with sponsor Meredith Brown; Michael Martin with sponsor David Grossman; Nate Slater with sponsor Mandy Skelton; Kittrell Smith with sponsor Javier Zapien; Britt Nokes with sponsor Barry Barth; Jack Stuckey with sponsor Daniel Smith; and Louis Brown with sponsor Matthew Hicks. (Photo by Caroline Stuckey)
LELAND – (right) St. James Parish, Confirmation, Sept. 10, Front row (l-r): Ellie Zepponi, Graci Pickell, Madison Henry, Hannah Lloyd and Lane Walker. Back row: Reeves Polasini, Walker Zepponi, Leland Zepponi, Kaid Polasini and Brett Chustz. (Photo by Deborah Ruggeri)
CORINTH – St. James Parish, Confirmation, Aug. 15, Pictured are Ania Ambrocio, Andrew Ayala, Angela Fuentes, Eulises Cobos, Brisanda Luna, Julia Martinez, Kevin Posadas, Elizabeth Soliz, Luis Zuñiga, Jesus Robles, Oswaldo Mejia, Mateo Molina and Italy Molina. (Photo by Josefina Preza)
CORINTH – St. James Parish, Laisha Sorcia received her First Communion certificate on Aug. 15 from Father Mario Solorzano. (Photo by Josefina Preza)
VICKSBURG – Jackson Fontenot and Elizabeth Theriot recently received the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Michael parish in Vicksburg. They are pictured with Father Robert Dore.
VICKSBURG – Jameson Piazza is all smiles after receiving his First Holy Communion at St. Michael from Father Robert Dore. (Photos by Caroline Stuckey)
MERIDIAN – Pictured left to right, Manning Miles, Matthew Heggie and Lauren Massey received their First Communion from Father Andrew Nguyen and Father Augustine Palimattam on Saturday, Aug. 1 at St. Patrick Parish. (Photo by John Harwell)
MERIDIAN – Ollie Holcomb received her First Communion at St. Joseph Parish from Father Augustine Palimattam on Sunday, Aug. 16. (Photo by John Harwell)
FLOWOOD – Tennyson Walker receives a certificate for his First Communion at St. Paul parish from Father Gerry Hurley on Sunday, Aug. 9. (Photo by Kimberly Walker)
FOREST – Morton’s Confirmation group at St. Michael Parish, Pictured left to right: Emily Ponce, Hugo Salazar, Diana Carrillo, Father Roberto Mena, ST, Catti Pérez, Iris Pérez and Marvin. (Photo courtesy of Father Roberto Mena, ST)
