Author Archives: Tereza Ma

Loyola University Maryland removes Flannery O’Connor’s name from hall

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By George P. Matysek, Jr
BALTIMORE (CNS) – Thirteen years after naming a new residence hall at Loyola University Maryland in honor of the Catholic author Flannery O’Connor, Jesuit Father Brian Linnane, the university’s president, removed the writer’s name from the building.
The structure will now be known as “Thea Bowman Hall,” in honor of the first African American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
Sister Thea, a Mississippi native, was a tireless advocate for greater leadership roles for Blacks in the Catholic Church and for incorporating African American culture and spiritual traditions in Catholic worship in the latter half of the 20th century. Her sainthood cause is under consideration in Rome.
O’Connor, a Southern Gothic writer who died of lupus in 1964 at age 39, is recognized as one of the greatest short-story writers of her era, one whose work often examined complex moral questions.
Concerns about her use of racist language in private correspondence prompted more than 1,000 people to sign an online petition asking Loyola to rename the residence hall.

A residence hall formerly named for Flannery O’Connor at Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore is seen in this undated photo. It is being renamed for Sister Thea Bowman. (CNS photo/courtesy Loyola University Maryland via Catholic Review) See FLANNERY-LOYOLA-RENAME July 29, 2020.

Father Linnane said it was a difficult decision and that the issue of O’Connor and race is very nuanced.
“I am not a scholar of Flannery O’Connor, but I have studied her fiction and non-fiction writings,” he told the Catholic Review, Baltimore’s archdiocesan news outlet. “Particularly in her fiction, the dignity of African American persons and their worth is consistently upheld, with the bigots being the object of ridicule.”
The priest noted some of the new disclosures about O’Connor’s use of racist language date to the 1940s when she was a teenager.
“They don’t take into account any evolution in her thinking,” he said.
The priest still felt the need to be sensitive to concerns, especially from students, about O’Connor’s use of racist language and an admission in her correspondence that she did not like people of color.
“A residence hall is supposed to be the students’ home,” Father Linnane said. “If some of the students who live in that building find it to be unwelcoming and unsettling, that has to be taken seriously.”
He said he hoped the decision is not viewed as a wholesale repudiation of O’Connor’s legacy and noted that professors will continue to assign the study of her writings.
“We were looking to name the building for someone who reflects the values of Loyola and its students at the present time and whose commitment to the fight for racial equality – from an intellectual point of view and from a faith perspective – would be more appropriate for the residence hall.”
Loyola is undergoing a larger review of all the names of its buildings and a university committee advised him on the renaming proposal.
Angela Alaimo O’Donnell, a former Loyola professor who currently serves as the associate director of the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University in New York, is spearheading an effort for the university to reconsider its decision.
O’Donnell, an expert on O’Connor’s life and writings, who recently wrote the book, “Racial Ambivalence: Race in Flannery O’Connor,” agrees that one of Loyola’s buildings should be named in honor of Sister Thea, but that O’Connor’s name should not be banished.
She said O’Connor grew up in the virulently racist culture of the American South and could not help but be influenced by that culture. She also said the writer should be celebrated for opposing that culture and racism in her writings.
Over the course of her career, O’Connor became more bold and more outspoken in her opposition to the “inburnt beliefs” of her fellow Southerners and Americans, O’Donnell said.
“I find it ironic that her name would be removed from a Catholic, Jesuit university,” added O’Donnell, saying the author portrayed America and the human soul as deeply divided, broken and flawed, and “much in need of conversion and repentance.”
O’Connor held herself, her racist white characters and all white people up for judgment, O’Donnell said.
“She lays claim to America’s original sin of racism, seeks atonement, and she atones,” O’Donnell added, noting that even on her deathbed, O’Connor was working on a story about white racists who arrive at the difficult knowledge of their sin.
The Fordham professor wrote a letter to Father Linnane signed by more than 80 authors, scholars and other leaders, urging the priest to keep O’Connor’s name on the building. Among the signatories are leading American authors, including Alice Walker, Richard Rodriguez and Mary Gordon. Auxiliary Bishop Robert E. Barron of Los Angeles, who is chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, also signed it.
A July 27 statement from Walker is included in the letter saying that “we must honor Flannery for growing.”
“Hide nothing of what she was, and use that to teach,” the well-known African American novelist said.
The letter asserts that very few, if any, of the great writers of the past can survive the “purity test” to which they are currently being subjected.
“If a university (Catholic or otherwise) effectively banishes Flannery O’Connor, why keep Sophocles, Dante, Shakespeare, Dickens, Dostoevsky and other writers who were marked by the racist, misogynist, and/or anti-Semitic cultures and eras they lived in the midst of? No one will be left standing,” it said.
Father Linnane said most people in the Loyola community have responded “very positively” to the name change. He also praised Sister Thea’s efforts to eliminate racism and her work for justice.
“She lived a life of great holiness,” he said.

(Matysek is digital editor for the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the Catholic Review, the news outlet of the archdiocese.)

COVID-19 crazy

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GUEST COLUMN
By Reba J. McMellon, M.S., LPC

If you have felt all sorts of crazy in the past six months, join the crowd. COVID-19 seemed to start gradually then hit us like a tsunami.

We were just beginning to hear about it, learn to spell and pronounce it, discuss it among family and friends when bam! – a “shelter at home” order was issued.

Reba J. McMellon, M.S.,LPC

Businesses were shut down, re-opened then shut down again. Initially all the masks looked like those blue medical things that portend some sort of medical procedure involving pain or discomfort. Now we’re use to people looking like they are going to a robbery. Facial expressions are blocked. Tension doesn’t begin to describe what we all felt and are still feeling in the atmosphere “out there.” In the beginning, every time I heard shelter in place or shelter at home, I pictured a chihuahua shivering with his nose in a corner waiting for a thunderstorm to pass. But this is no thunderstorm. It hasn’t passed. Does that leave some of us shivering in place?

Then comes the debate: What is this? Is it blue, is it red, does “it” have ties to being liberal or conservative, does it have left wings or right wings, can it fly through the air, does it make you really sick or not sick at all, do people die from it? It’s something we can’t see, touch or taste. It’s also something we can’t control. We Americans do not like things we can’t control.
It’s a type of sickness that will physically separate you from your loved ones, especially those in the margins of life. No. Uh huh, that just isn’t acceptable. A pandemic that hits the United States?

We thought we, as a society, were way past that sort of thing. We’re used to having fast paced control. Just look at what our cell phones can do. Technology is the way of the world, not some viral outbreak no one has heard of. This sort of thing might happen across the pond but not in our country. We tend to be vague about our world geography and ignore all things not in our backyard, so let it be something that happens somewhere else.

But here “it” is, all up in our backyard. This leads to a little bit of acceptance that went something like this: “Ok, I’ll accept a couple weeks of disruption that could lead to a month or two but that’s it. Then we’ll move back to normal.”

When two weeks turned into two months and now six months with no end in sight, family and friends began to splinter in how they chose to cope. Conspiracy theories of fake tests, clandestine financial motives, political gain or loss, election plans, medical financing-you name it. Anger at not being able to bargain our way through “this” gave rise to anxiety, fear and irritably. Sometimes extreme irritability. When this stage started to wane, a sadness-like depression rolled around. Lethargy, giving up, giving in, preoccupation with health, fear of routines that previously brought comfort, finding new comfort in numbing out, giving up and giving in.
Life as we knew it is, well, over. This leads to a new level of acceptance. Acceptance of a life and lifestyle previously unfamiliar to most. One of much less doing and much more being. Living more simply and present in the moment can be extremely uncomfortable for a society that values doing over being. A society that equates busy with important. Depending on your personal value system and level of spiritual maturity, this could be asking you to rework your whole system of thinking.

Just when you think you’re over the anger, irritability, shock, anxiety, denial and bargaining, a sense of new peace flows down and you feel as though you’ve arrived at acceptance.

But, just like the stages of grief, the feeling may roll back around and play out again and again. The good news is, the more you lean into acceptance, the shorter the other stages will last. We, as a society, have a lot of strengths. Patience and trust don’t tend to be our top two. We are a nation that gets to work and fixes things. Natural disasters? No problem. We show up and rebuild. But COVID-19 is intangible. Most of us can’t show up anywhere and fix any of it.

We are, as a nation, hardheaded. Hardheaded but not hopeless.
The five stages of grief (loss) are: shock, denial, bargaining, anger, depression, testing and acceptance.

If you find yourself stuck in one stage for more than two weeks, it’s a red flag. Check in with yourself on a regular basis. Write on a calendar or in a journal so you can keep up with your moods and thought processes, as well as the days of the week, the change in seasons, the months that pass by.
If your mood causes you to lose your perspective, your ability to love your neighbor, family or friends and your ability to find joy or humor in something every day, talk to somebody! Not just anybody, talk to someone who really listens. You may need to see your medical doctor or mental health counselor. If you didn’t need extra support to see you through this COVID-19 crazy, you are in the minority. Needing a little extra help is a normal response to an abnormal situation.

If there were ever a time for the serenity prayer, it’s now. Light your candles, use holy water, listen to God, follow the liturgy of the word. If not now, when?

Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

(Reba J. McMellon, M.S., LPC is a licensed professional counselor with 35 years of experience. She currently lives in Jackson, Mississippi and works part-time as a mental health consultant and freelance writer.)

Saying goodbye to St. Francis was something Nosser never thought she would do

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(Editor’s note: re-printed with permition from The Vicksburg Post)
By Anna Kate Doiron The Vicksburg Post
VICKSBURG – “I couldn’t wait to tell people I worked at St. Francis. I don’t think I’ll ever say goodbye.”
After 41 years, Shelley Nosser is retiring from her job as a teacher at St. Francis Xavier and saying “goodbye.”
“I was home from college for spring break and applied for a teaching job at St. Francis. I didn’t go anywhere else. Sister Rosamond interviewed me and I ended up getting that job before I finished my senior year of college,” Nosser said. “What’s so funny is it was the fourth grade at St. Francis, and I am still in fourth grade.”
Shelley graduated from Vicksburg High School and later studied at the University of Southern Mississippi. The presence of prayer at St. Francis, she said, was the reason she was drawn to it and never wanted to leave.
“Number one, you feel the love when you walk in the door. I was in Heaven,” Nosser said. “I think when you can start a day off with God, with prayer, the day can’t get messed up too much.”
Out of the fear of safety for her mother due to COVID-19, Shelley decided to retire a few years earlier than intended.

VICKSBURG – Shelley Nosser decided recently to retire from teaching at St. Francis Xavier School after 41 years. (Photo by Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post)

“I just could not take that risk of bringing something home to her. Your family comes first,” Shelley said. “She’s an angel from Heaven. Anything good in me comes from her and daddy.”
This decision was not made lightly. Shelley reminisced on 41 “beautiful” years of teaching and how she began dreaming of becoming a teacher while playing school as a little girl. Her two older sisters were teachers as well.
Nosser’s impact on students did not stop in the classroom. Years later, as seniors from St. Aloysius made their final walk down the St. Francis hallway, or even as the children of former students approach fourth grade, those who had Ms. Nosser make a point to tell her about the effect she had on their lives when they were 10 years old.
St. Aloysius graduate Sam Andrews remembers her strong faith in God playing a big role in her success.
“At the end of the day, when you walked out of Ms. Nosser’s classroom, you left feeling better than when you got there. In my opinion, that’s why she’s been so successful,” Andrews said. “She took the time to listen to and understand each student.”
Other former students hear the news and beg her to stay so their child can have the same experience they did all those years ago. Teaching the children of former students has been one of the most enjoyable parts of her job.
“It’s so meaningful to them to think, ‘Oh my Mama had this lady. Oh she must be old,’” she said.
Nosser began working at St. Francis when the school was located on Cherry Street. Her classroom was next door to the second-grade classroom of Martha Amborn. Twelve years later, the school moved to Grove Street, and the two were assigned to fourth grade. They have been ‘joined at the hip’ ever since.
“She is my sister at heart. When you have a partner that you work with as well as we worked together, the kids are the ones that benefit from that,” Nosser said.
She said she woke up every day, excited to go to work.
“I was just so proud to be there. I couldn’t wait to tell people I worked at St. Francis,” she said.
She laughed as she talked about students’ infatuation with her trademark lipstick. Each day as lunch ended, she applied her lipstick.
“They loved to see the lipstick on the napkin, and when I would put my lipstick on, they knew it was time for recess,” she said.
Years later, she now has a collection of items given to her with lipstick or a pair of lips on them.
Nosser said that since making the decision to leave, it feels like part of her heart is missing. Days that were once filled with lesson plans and grading papers will now be filled with new activities. If she had it to do all over again, she still would go back to that day she interviewed with Rosamond.
“Once you see those beautiful little faces, it just falls into place. Knowing that you’re gonna be their leader, you’re gonna be the one to help them grow,” she said. “When they know you care and love them, the sky is the limit for what they will do. I don’t think I’ll ever say goodbye to that school.”

(Anna Kate Doiron is an intern writing for The Vicksburg Post and Vicksburg Living. She is a graduate of St. Aloysius and attends the University of Mississippi.)

Catholic Charities pandemic assistance totals nearly $400 million

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By Dennis Sadowski
CLEVELAND (CNS) – Scott Milliken has seen a lot of people come through the doors at the Father English Center’s food pantry during his years as CEO of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, but not like the numbers since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March.
“We are feeding more people than ever,” he said.
Whereby in a typical month before the pandemic the program served between 5,000 and 7,000 people, agency statistics showed, the numbers rose significantly in the spring. In April it was 11,000, in May 21,000 and in June 25,000.
In terms of quantity, the amount of food distributed between March and July totaled 940,000 pounds, far beyond a typical month before COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, arrived. Milliken estimated the food to be worth about $1.6 million.


Milliken said the agency has seen demand for short-term utility payment and rental assistance and other needs skyrocket by 60% a month from pre-COVID-19 times. Since March the agency has distributed $1.8 million – on average about $1,500 per household.
The agency leader doesn’t expect things to change any time soon, especially since the July 31 end of the temporary unemployment benefit of $600 per week that was included in legislation passed early in the federal response to the pandemic.
“The increase just on Monday (Aug. 3), the phone was just ringing off the hook of people who need services,” Milliken told Catholic News Service. “They’re worried about losing their homes. Their worried about feeding their families.”
The response in the Paterson Diocese is part of nearly $400 million in emergency aid and services that Catholic Charities agencies nationwide have provided since March in response to the pandemic-induced economic recession.
“There are a lot of food and housing-related issues being met,” Dominican Sister Donna Markham, CEO and president of Catholic Charities USA, said.
Information gathered over the last two weeks by the umbrella agency for U.S. Catholic Charities operations showed that the clients seeking assistance comprise a broader demographic than low-income and poor households that traditionally walk through the doors.
Sister Markham said that among the 50% to 70% increase in the number of clients are people from middle-class families who lost their jobs as the pandemic surged during the spring. “And they are trying to figure out how they are going to eat and pay their rent or mortgage,” she told CNS.
Similar requests are being made beyond Catholic Charities, Sister Markham added.
“The whole charitable sector is being stretched to the limit. How long can that be sustained without some significant government support?” she asked.
Some of the need has been met by corporate donors and small companies that have stepped in to provide food in particular.
Sister Markham said elsewhere corporations such as Golden West Food Group in California and the Idaho-based Albertsons grocery store chain have provided millions of dollars in food donations.
At Catholic Charities of San Antonio in Texas, requests for food jumped from between 300 and 400 families per week to an average of 3,500 per week from April through June, said Antonio Fernandez, the agency’s president and CEO.
“It’s just never-ending,” he told CNS Aug. 4.
Through Aug. 1, the operation had distributed 490,000 pounds of food, much of it donated from grocery stores and corporate partners, Fernandez said. Agency staff members are planning to distribute food to 5,000 people – another 70,000 pounds –Aug. 8.
Food is just one area that has seen a sharp rise in demand. Rising numbers of people have sought legal services, assistance with income tax filing, emergency shelter and counseling, Fernandez said. Overall, the added needs have cost slightly more than $10 million, according to agency statistics.
Elvira Ramirez, executive director of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Stockton, California, said the rising number of cases in the largely agricultural region the agency serves has led a burgeoning need among military veterans and working families who face losing their homes.
“They are coming from all different directions. It’s definitely because of COVID that existing problems are getting worse. And now it’s about working families who are getting behind and their ability to support their families,” Ramirez said.
“It’s mostly agricultural and restaurant workers and domestic workers. It’s people who were probably on the edge and living paycheck to paycheck,” she said.
The agency has received support from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as well as local foundations to meet the increased need. However, Ramirez wonders how long the funds will last as the pandemic resurges in California.
Despite the difficulties, the agency leaders are maintaining a positive attitude.
“I tell our folks, ‘Let’s not get overwhelmed. Let’s see how we can help,’” Ramirez said.
Milliken in New Jersey said he sees “light in the people” who provide assistance as well as those seeking help.
“The people that we’re serving, they know that people care. There’s light in people who are providing donations to use so we can do what we do. There’s light in the staff. They’re essential employees. Our staff is on the front lines feeding and helping people, putting their own lives at risk, too,” Milliken said.
“Everybody’s worried, but there’s light in the good people of the world. The history of Catholic Charities has shown we come together as people and as a church to help those who need help.”

Calendar of events

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
MAGNOLIA St. James Mission, you are invited to embark on a journey towards faith and racial healing sometime in the first week of Sept. via Zoom meetings. It is an opportunity to further and deepen our desire to follow the way of Jesus. This program is not specifically Catholic. It is universal. All are welcome. The program is not about religion; it is about human dignity and respect. If you are interested, please call or email. Details: Chris Ingrassia (301) 266-0433, gracie_eddie@yahoo.com. Website is: https://justfaith.org/faith-and-racial-healing/.
NEW ORLEANS Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans (CCRNO). Speakers will be Deacon Larry and Andi Oney, internationally known speakers and authors. The theme is “The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory” and will focus on the call of the Lord to us now. The morning will include praise and worship, preaching and prayer. Registration is $25 per person. Special price for youth ages 18-30, $10. Register online at www.ccrno.org no later than Wednesday, Aug. 26, 12 p.m. On-site registration will be accepted. Masks and distancing will be observed. Details: Visit www.ccrno.org or call CCRNO at 504-828-1368 for more information.
VIRTUAL Department of Faith Formation Fall Faith Formation Virtual Series. The theme this year is “Rise!” Aug. 22 at 10 a.m. Roy Petitfils presents “Rise to Reality;” Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. Katie Prejean McGrady presents “Rise to the Journey;” and on Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. Deacon Art Miller presents “Rise to Hope.” Details: Contact Fran Lavelle at fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org or register at https://jacksondiocese.org/offices/faith-formation/.

PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS
CLARKSDALE Catholic Community of St. Elizabeth, Choosing Christ in the World/Lightworks, Tuesdays 12-1 p.m. (via parish Zoom) and ends Nov. 10. It is a program of prayer for spiritual growth based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola and designed to help you deepen your prayer life and your relationship with the Lord. Class size is limited to small group. Details: church office (662) 624-4301.
CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, Sunday School is planning to begin Sunday, Sept. 13. This year pre-registration is required to make sure all guidelines/procedures are met. If you prefer to teach at home, we will provide materials. Details: church office (662) 846-6273 or www.olvcleveland/contact to register.
GLUCKSTADT St. Joseph, Germanfest 2020 cancelled. After consultation with the diocese, conversations with Father Kevin and our Germanfest Chairperson Eric Price, and much prayer, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel Germanfest this year. Due to uncertainties surrounding the COVID pandemic, the escalating numbers of illness, and the necessity of close and sustained contact during preparations, as well as the need to protect our parishioners and our visitors, we feel it is the best decision we can make at this time.
JACKSON St. Richard, Coffee and Creed, Sundays at 9:15 a.m. in Glynn Hall. Please wear a mask. Details: church office (601) 366-2335.
MADISON Bishop’s Cup Golf Scramble will be on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at the Lake Caroline golf course. Details: Contact Julia Williams at 601-960-8481 or julia.williams@jacksondiocese.org. Visit https://one.bidpal.net/bishopscup2020/welcome for more information and to register.

YOUTH BRIEFS
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, Youth programs are not cancelled, just delayed and coming back late Sept. with a different look. For now, the Life Teen YouTube channel offers several options for youth: Summit Teaching, for studying the upcoming Sunday readings in small groups of friends; Lectio Live, reflections on the Sunday readings and Here’s the Thing, Catholic takes on current happenings. Details: church office (601) 856-5556.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, JCYO (7th-8th grades, not 6th grade at this time), Scavenger Hunt Sunday, Aug. 23, 5:30-6:30 p.m. It will be teams of three hunting for … you have to come to find out. Water will be provided (no meals at this time). There will be prizes for the winners.
CYO (9th-12th grades), Wednesday, Aug. 19, 6-7 p.m. “Be Still” – this is something new in the Family Life Center. Pizza and drinks will be provided. It is not a class or program. Participating students will receive service hours. Sunday, Aug. 23, 7-8 p.m., Scavenger Hunt (see JCYO for description); Wednesday, Aug. 26, 6-7 p.m. (see above description); Sunday, Aug. 30, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Local Mission Work Camp was very fruitful this year to those who served and those who were served. We are pairing up with a few members of the Knights of Columbus and CYO parents to continue our mission work. Details: church office (601) 445-5616.

LIVE STREAMING
In person Masses are now open at many parishes within the Diocese of Jackson. Check with your local parish for details and follow guidelines in place for attendance.
Some parishes are still offering live streaming options via Facebook live and YouTube to bring Mass to the faithful.
The obligation to attend Mass continues to be dispensed, 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!

Meet William Foggo

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Will Foggo is entering his first year of seminary formation. He recently graduated from Mississippi State University.

William Foggo

Home parish: St. Paul, Flowood.

Background: I am from Brandon, MS. I grew up in Brandon and went to school at St. Richard in Jackson and St. Joe in Madison. I went to college at Mississippi State. I have lived my whole life in Mississippi.

What is your vocation story? Who influenced you and why?
I was raised Catholic and went to Catholic school all the way through high school. I had never thought about becoming a priest. I first felt a desire for priesthood when I was a senior in high school. When I was in college, that desire grew. I began to notice signs that God may be calling me to priesthood. The feeling of a call to priesthood became so great that I couldn’t ignore it, so I decided to enter the seminary.

What draws you to diocesan priesthood? And to the Diocese of Jackson?
I like the idea of serving those who helped me to grow in my own faith. I want to bring Christ in a real way and minister to my friends and family.

What are your hobbies/interests?
I enjoy playing guitar and listening to music. I also enjoy camping, hiking and being outdoors. I also enjoy cooking, though I am not very good!

Who is your favorite saint and why?
I have many favorite saints, but I have always felt close to St. Joseph. He was a quiet, humble and compassionate man. He is my Confirmation saint and I have always been inspired by his quiet humility. He is a great example of a good, Catholic man.

Do you have a favorite devotion?
I really enjoy praying the rosary. I really like meditating on the mysteries of Christ’s life while asking Our Lady for her intercession. It is a very powerful prayer and spiritual weapon. I also love spending time with our Lord in Eucharistic adoration. I enjoy getting to pray face to face with our Lord.

What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I studied mechanical engineering at Mississippi State for three years.

Who is your favorite sports team? The New Orleans Saints.

What advice do you have for those discerning a vocation?
I would say to go to the Sacraments. Go to Reconciliation and Mass. Seek Jesus in the Eucharist. Pray the rosary and ask Our Lady for her intercession. Talk to a spiritual director or your parish priest. Speaking with someone else helps to see the path more clearly.

Where can people send you a personal note?
You can mail a note to St. Joseph’s Seminary College at 74576 River Rd. Covington, LA 70457.

Sacraments

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Mississippi Catholic will publish Sacrament pages in upcoming editions.
This means we need First Communion and Confirmation photos.
Due to COVID-19, we understand there may not be group shots,
so individual pictures are accepted.
email to: editor@jacksondiocese.org
Please include, full names, parish, date and name of sacrament celebration and name of photographer, if possible.

CLINTON – Holy Savior, First Communion, Wednesday, June 17. Front row, (l-r): Paige Galloway, Daniel Kieffer and Hunter Verret. Middle row, (l-r): Addie Threadgill and Piper Behan. Back row, (l-r): Nora Melancon, Father Thomas McGing and Dakota Bennett. (Photo by Charlie O’Clair)
MADISON – Chance Pittman celebrated his First Communion at St. Francis of Assisi on Saturday, July 25. (Photo by Steve Pittman)
NATCHEZ – (Above) St. Mary Basilica, Confirmation, Tuesday, July 14. Front row (l-r): Chase Kaiser, Ayden Rojo, Clayton Devening, Liam Blackburn, Mia Romero, Rose Schwager, Ryan Skates, Nathan Gaude and Lesley Martinez.
Back row (l-r): Parochial Vicar Father Mark Shoffner and Pastor Father Scott Thomas. (Photo courtesy of St. Mary Basilica)

Youth news

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Youth work camp at Cathedral school

NATCHEZ – On Monday and Tuesday, July 20 and 21, a group of CYO members and adult sponsors worked to beautify the Cathedral School flower beds and playground sites for the approaching opening of school.
Thirty-five youth along with nine adults did a fantastic job sprucing up the property. The youth engaged in multiple jobs throughout the week.

NATCHEZ – Jag Gilfoil and Ryan Carney work on the rose bushes in front of Seton Hall at Cathedral school.
Meredith Lessley trims the bushes near the Cathedral school gym.
CYO students pull weeds on the Cathedral elementary school playground.(Photos by Carrie Golden Lambert)

VBS is a treasure in Madison

On July 13, the first day of home Vacation Bible School, Emerson and Harper Schuhmann dig in to their treasure chests of materials for the week. (Photo by Abbey Schuhmann)
Presleigh and Harlee Kate Nassar are showing their Welcome Holy Spirit door hangers and treasure chest snack crafts on the last day of VBS. (Photo courtesy Nassar family)

Office of Education moves forward with back-to-school plans

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By Stephanie Brown
JACKSON – In recent weeks, many public-school districts have released their plans for returning to school in August. Some districts have even made the difficult decision to delay the start of school or provide only distance learning for the beginning of the year. After careful thought and consultation with healthcare officials and school administrators, schools in the Catholic Diocese of Jackson plan to move forward with the option of an in-person return for families. In making this decision, the Office of Education evaluated the feasibility of social distancing and other mitigation strategies in our schools. They also worked closely with local administrators to assess the individual circumstances of each community.
In addition to thorough research and planning for returning to school, administrators are also working with families who are not yet ready to return in-person. The Office of Education has taken many of the lessons learned from the term of virtual learning in the spring and believe they have made significant improvements in what the schools can offer in a virtual environment. These measures include fully licensed Zoom accounts for all of our classroom teachers as well as multiple training opportunities for all teachers on the Learning Management System offered through FACTS.
Even if a family is not prepared for a physical return to campus, they will still be included in the school community through virtual learning. Each of our Catholic school families provide unique gifts, talents and perspectives that help strengthen our school communities, and the diocese values the opportunity to serve all of them.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges for educational leaders in all schools, both public and private. All leaders must make the decisions that they believe are in the best interest of their school communities, and we must recognize that what is best for one community may not be best for others. With this in mind, the Office of Education has been working side-by-side with school administrators to determine the best course of action for each community. While the office has provided guidelines, school administrators know their communities best. All decisions regarding school re-opening plans have been made collaboratively with representatives from the Office of Education, the Diocesan Task Force, and local administrators.
At this point, the Office of Education believes offering an on-campus experience with the proper mitigation strategies in place is the best course of action for school communities. While there is no way to guarantee 100% protection, the diocese believes that their schools are well-prepared to welcome students in a safe, healthy, and caring environment. As with any decision or situation during our current reality, the diocese recognizes the need to revisit and reevaluate our decisions regularly. If the determine is made that alternative plans are needed for any of the diocese schools, the school administrator will share those plans with as quickly as possible.
“We cannot thank our families enough for their continued support and confidence in our schools’ ability to provide a high-quality educational experience. This responsibility is not one that we take lightly, and families can rest assured that our commitment to the well-being of community members is ongoing,” said Catherine Cook, superintendent of education.
If anyone has questions about a school’s plan for re-opening, please contact the school’s office. Additionally, COVID-19 Response page on the school section of the diocese website contains multiple resources for a safe and healthy return to school at https://schools.jacksondiocese.org.