By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Bishop Joseph Kopacz made three critical chancery personnel announcements on Monday, May 20. Father Lincoln Dall is appointed Vicar General for the Diocese of Jackson, effective July 1. He will remain pastor at Pearl St. Jude Parish. Father Kevin Slattery is appointed Canonical Consultant for the Vicar General. He will remain sacramental minister for Gluckstadt St. Joseph Parish. Carolyn Callahan has accepted the position of Director of Temporal Affairs for the Diocese of Jackson, effective immediately.
Father Lincoln had been acting Director of Temporal Affairs while a search committee looked for a new leader. He will remain connected to that office as a priest liaison to the Office of Temporal Affairs.
Bishop Kopacz made the announcement about Fathers Lincoln and Slattery in a letter to chancery staff. “We have developed a good team over the past few months and I feel we can utilize our many talents and various roles to assist Father Lincoln as he takes on this new responsibility. I ask you to keep both Father Lincoln and Father Kevin in your prayers and I ask for your prayers as well. Thank you for your commitment to the Diocese of Jackson,” wrote the bishop. He commended Father Slattery on his many years of service to the diocese and on his willingness to serve as Vicar.
Callahan is no stranger to diocesan work, having acted as Controller, Internal Auditor and Coordinator of Special Projects for the diocese, Director of Finance for St. Joseph Catholic School in Madison, and as an accounting support person for all Catholic Schools. “The diversity of this work makes Carolyn well suited to know the in and outs of how the Diocese, parishes and schools operate. Carolyn is a natural problem solver and will work to streamline processes, create greater transparency and employ best practices in accounting and finance,” said Bishop Kopacz.

Callahan brings to the position more than 30 years of accounting experience. Her work within the Church has given her many opportunities to get to know priests, deacons, lay ecclesial ministers, principals, business managers and bookkeepers. She and her husband Danny have two adult sons, Christopher and Stephen. They are parishioners at Gluckstadt St. Joseph Parish.
Father Lincoln was born in Chicago and grew up as a teenager in Orange County, California, the oldest of four siblings. He started his career in accounting and finance. “I worked as a CPA in an auditing firms in both North Carolina and California for 6 years. I was also a comptroller for a company in the retail industry for a year,” he explained.
The timing of this assignment is providential as Father Lincoln is completing an advanced degree from Catholic University that will serve him well in his new role.
“The Masters of Science in Ecclesial Administration and Management is a professional degree that prepares clergy for effective and efficient parish and diocesan leadership. The program’s goal is to take inspiration from the proven best practices established in the secular business environment and assist the clergy in applying these practices on a parish and diocesan level in order to manage day-to-day administrative responsibilities and to best respond to particular challenges and difficulties that might arise. Course content emphasizes various aspects of fundraising, the transparent management of financial resources, the organization and management of employees, and effective communication strategies with the dual aims of promoting faithful stewardship and fostering growth through evangelization.” explained Father Lincoln.

Father Lincoln became Catholic in 1992 at the Easter Vigil and immediately became a missionary. “I did not realize that my auditing and accounting background would be such a valuable resource for me as a missionary and as a priest,” he said. In fact, he said he tried to put aside his accounting experience when he became a missionary, but his skills were needed.
In addition to work with a food bank and soup kitchen as well as a healing center for in Canada, he worked extensively in Central and South America. “I was a lay missionary with the Comboni Missionaries in Borbón, Ecuador in a rain forest jungle,” said Father Lincoln. .
He is looking forward to continuing to work closely with Callahan on diocesan administration. “Carolyn and I have been working a lot with policies and procedures and structure and very defined – what people’s areas are,” he said. “I am very team-oriented, and I really want to emphasize that and work with the key people in a very team-oriented way and empower them in their ministries and our positions.”
Father Lincoln was ordained in 2008. He has served at Jackson St. Richard, Yazoo City St. Mary, Belzoni All Saints and Tupelo St. James.
“I am really humbled at getting this appointment. It is a surprise- nothing I expected. I need a lot of prayers from people and I will give it my best,” said Father Lincoln.

Background:
I lived in Pabellon de Arteaga, Aguascalientes, Mexico until I was 11. I have six siblings, three brothers and three sisters, I am the youngest.

Home parish: In Mexico, Jesus Nazareno in Jesus Maria, Aguascalientes. Over here, Our Lady of Victories in Cleveland 

Favorite Saints and why?
St. Augustine, St. John Bosco, St. Francis de Sales, St. Therese of Calcutta, St. John Marie Vianney, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Paul II. I think I like them because of their deep love for God and for the people, their closeness to the people of God and their care for them made a great impact in my life.
 
Do you have a favorite devotion, religious image or prayer and why?
Our Lady of Guadalupe, first because I am a Mexican and second because I know that she has accompanied me right from the beginning of my Christian life, since the parish where I was baptized was named after her. My devotion to her began even before I meet Christ. When I was probably around 6 years old, I used to take my grandma’s Bible – which I could not read – but I used to look at the pictures in it and right at the beginning of this Bible was the story of the apparition of Our Lady … The picture that stayed in my mind was the one where she cured uncle Bernardino, in it there is Our Lady, uncle Bernardino, a skeleton and an angel defeating it.

Who vested you at ordination and why?
Father Kent Bowlds, because besides Father Matthew Simmons, he has been my biggest supporter together with Our Lady of Victories Parish since I came here.

In what parishes have you served?
St. Francis of Assisi in Brookhaven, St. Mary in Batesville, St. Therese in Jackson, and at least ten parishes in the Diocese of Morelia.
 
Can you tell me a little about your vocation story ?
The first time I can remember that priesthood came to my mind was when I was around 6 years old. It was a Sunday, I was walking with my cousin’s wife Concha and I remember telling her that I wanted to become a priest. She asked me why then I said to her, because all priests go to heaven. I was scared because the day before our catechist taught us about hell and heaven. The way she depicted hell to us was so shocking that I decided to become a priest in order to escape from it.
The second time was when I was around 16 years old. I was heartbroken for my family situation. My parents separated …and my mother moved away. Two of my aunts from my mom’s side, insisted I live with them. My grandma was a woman who was in love with our blessed Lord. She constantly insisted all her children and grandchildren go to confession and receive Holy Communion.
My aunts introduced me to the life of prayer which I had forgotten during my teenage years. At the beginning I thought they were crazy, asking me to go and give thanks in front of what for me was nothing. To please them, I just began talking to the Lord as if he really existed. Later they invited me to participate in the Mass by reading on Sundays. … I met my pastor whose name was Tirso Sanchez Cruz … who inspired me because even when he was an old priest he seemed to never get tired. He was tireless disciple of the Lord, joyful man, and full of energy. These characteristics made me wonder where all that energy and happiness come from.
I experienced a year of consolation from the Lord. That year, attending Mass after Mass was a taste of heaven. One Sunday I spend the entire day helping Mass after Mass and there were six Masses at that time and I did not experience boredom, it was one of the happiest days of my life …
Time passed I began to work and get busy and I forgot about the seminary. I had to work to pay rent, bills, and food and contribute to the house. I began to hang out with friends and forget about God but I was not happy. … Finally, trying to get away from the noises of the city and society, I decided to come to the United States … to look for a quiet place to meditate and to find the reason for my sadness. … I spent hours and hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament asking the Lord for answers and strength. He listened to my prayers and took away from me a depression which I had been suffering since I remember … When my depression was gone, I told to the Lord, now I am ready to follow you …. But I think it was not my time yet …
I had an accident in a truck I did not own, so had to pay for it and for the other car and for the penalty fee. I had to wait until I finish paying to think about going to the seminary. That time was useful because I came down from heaven and set once again my foot on earth.
 
Can you share something about yourself people may not know?
That some of my friends have inviting me to join their dioceses because there are more benefits but I have rejected their invitation because from the beginning of my vocation I have asked God to serve the poor and he heard my petition and he has sent me to serve in one of the poorest dioceses in the United States. I am planning to serve in this diocese at least until retirement and I thank you for your support and prayers.
 
What advice do you have for those discerning a vocation?
Do not be afraid, come and see, “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” There is not boss like him; he will fulfill your heart’s desires. Seminary life is not like you think, we pray, we play, we live, we enjoy, we love, we laugh, we learn, we are transformed by Christ. Come and see and if this is not your vocation you are free to leave. But be sure that your life will not be the same because spending a period of time with the Lord will change your life.

Is there one part of priesthood in particular you are looking forward to?
Celebrating the sacraments of course, especially the sacrament of reconciliation and Eucharist because those sacraments I believe are the ones that can bring people closer to God. I also look forward to serve in this diocese because I have seen the need we have of priests.
 
What are you looking forward to about your first parish assignment?
I am looking forward to establishing a good relationship with both the pastor and the community. I am looking forward to the new experiences that God has reserved for me in that parish.

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Mercy Sisters Patricia Parker and Robyn Huser were honored by the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing on Friday, May 10, as part of National Nurses Week. The pair hatched an idea almost 20 years ago to outfit a bus as a mobile clinic and take it into the Delta to serve children with no access to healthcare.
They raised the money and the Mercy Delta Express started to roll from school to school. The Sisters partnered with the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s School of Nursing to staff the bus and give students experience working with those in need and the program took off from there.
The Sisters said they got the idea from two very different sources. “It all started with a homeless boy in Jackson telling us ‘y’all need to do something in the Delta, and I’m going to give you some money!’ We told him we would not take any money from our clients,” laughed Sister Robyn.
The more specific form the help should take came from a federal report on poverty in the region. “Sister Robyn and I, years ago, read the Delta Commission Report and we felt like we needed to do something in the Delta – we were working in Jackson at the time,” Sister Patricia explained. “We were able to raise funds and provide the Mercy Delta Express. Doctor Peggy Hewlett, who was the associate dean, said ‘let me help you,’ and that’s how we got started with the school of nursing. They took over and have been so supportive. We have had a number of our Mercys from Vicksburg who were volunteers for a number of years,” she added.

“I remember talking with one of the Mercy Delta Express Sisters a couple of years ago when I went on a bus tour with Marian Wright Edelman into the Mississippi Delta to explore poverty and child hunger. I was blown away with her knowledge and absolute feel for the community she served. She loved that community and I believe the feeling was so, so mutual,” said Ruth Cummins, who works in the communications office for the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Today the School of Nursing staffs in-school clinics and the bus only goes to health fairs. The program is now the “Coordinated Healthcare through an authentic model of partnership” or CHAMP program. It started in Sharkey and Issaquena Counties with the bus. Current partners include the South Delta School District, Ripley Blackwell Head Start, Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, Smiles Across America, Hope and Comfort, Kotex Corporation, Sharkey/Issaquena Health Network, and numerous churches, according to school of nursing public relations representative Kate Royals. In an email to Mississippi Catholic she added “The overall goal of this work is to improve health outcomes for Mississippians in urban Jackson and the Mississippi Delta, while educating the next generation of interprofessional health care providers, including nurses and advanced practice nurses in partnership with physicians, dentists, social workers, occupational therapists and pharmacists.”
In addition to healthcare, the project also offers wellness education and operates in Ripley Blackwell Head Start, South Delta Elementary, and South Delta Middle School and offers the Delta Teen Wellness Project at South Delta High School.
The School of Nursing presented Sisters Patricia and Robyn with a plaque and school representatives spoke about their inspirational leadership in getting the project started. The staff provided a spread of food and sweets for a reception following the ceremony.
“We are very humbled and we feel that the University School of Nursing did not give themselves the credit because we could never have done this on our own. We are just so grateful for all of them,” said Sister Patricia.
Sister Robyn added that they continue to be amazed at the impact one simple idea continues to have “It’s kind of an awesome thing. Both Patricia and I feel like when you start something you just do it and you don’t think anything about it and when something like this (honor) happens you think- ‘we did it!’”

JACKSON – On Sunday, February 24 and Saturday April 6, volunteer Knights of Columbus from Flowood St. Paul Parish replaced 22 windows in the Carmelite Monastery convent. Another two dozen window replacements are in the works.
The old metal single-pane hand-crank models, original to the monastery built in the late 1940s, were replaced with energy efficient double-paned windows.

To date new windows have been installed in the living quarters on the second floor. Old windows framed in steel had to be pried from the eight-inch thick brick structure, and new ones installed and caulked with silicone. Replacement involved the use of a lift to facilitate installation on the second floor.
The new vinyl windows were supplied by Creative Windows and Doors Inc. of Madison,.The Sisters said the staff was very helpful in selecting the best and most economic window design and was often on site to aid in installations.
The Knights participating in the window project are Jeff Johnson, Larry Moeller, Chuck Smith, Al Chapman, Pete Canizaro, Jose Lopez, Dan Cado, Ed Mueller, Toan Hoang and Brian Maier.. This is one of many projects undertaken by Knights of Columbus councils throughout the Jackson area to make repairs and improvements to the monastery, gift shop and grounds.

By Maureen Smith
CHATAWA – Four School Sisters of Notre Dame marked a combined 265 years of consecrated life at St. Mary of the Pines on Thursday, May 10. The community gathered for a Mass and a meal on the grounds of the retirement facility at the edge of the Mississippi-Louisiana border. Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated the Mass.
Sister Teresa Martin Caronia, a native of New Orleans, made her first profession on July 28, 1944, 75 years ago. She worked throughout the Southeast, mostly as a teacher and school administrator. She was delighted to participate in the jubilee Mass, singing every song. During the homily Bishop Kopacz asked the Sisters to share a little something about an assignment or ministry that was special to them. Sister Caronia said she treasured preparing children for their First Holy Communion.

Sister Herman Marie Siebenmorgen left her family farm in Morrison Bluff, Arkansas, 70 years ago to join the School Sisters of Notre Dame. She tried just about everything to delay her vocation, asking for sign after sign that she should go, but the Blessed Mother got the last word. “Before that, I said ‘if this (event) happens, I know God is calling me.’ And it happened, but I said, ‘I am going to try something harder.’ And it happened. I said ‘if I see the Blessed Mother or Jesus then I will go. That’s it, that’s all.’ I was in bed sleeping, towards morning. All of a sudden I felt a breeze coming over me. Someone was standing by my bed. It was the Blessed Mother – I saw here from here up. I was looking at her. She was looking at me just smiling. She didn’t say anything. Just smiling. I said ‘I can’t back out now.’”
Sister Herman was the third of 12 children and 92 first cousins. Eleven of the women went into religious life. Most became Benedictines. Sister Herman’s older sister tried to convince her to join the Benedictines as well. “I said, no, I’m going to Mary. Benedict is OK, I like Mary. We are German. The prayer my mother said every day is in German. I say it every day. It’s all about how Mary will get me to heaven,” she explained. Sister worked in schools in Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. She now serves in a ministry of prayer and presence.
Sister Rose Ann Bacak made her first profession in July of 1959 in St. Louis. She came from Kerrville, Texas, and served in the Dioceses of Jackson and Dallas teaching business classes and doing administrative work. She taught at both Jackson St. Mary school and the Notre Dame Education Center in Canton. She said every Notre Dame community will host a house jubilee for the Sisters in residence. “We do this every year for our sisters, no matter where they are — try to come together in one place. In July, we have a big celebration that includes a lot more Sisters. We just enjoy each other doing our thing and it’s kind of hard sometimes to accept the gratitude people feel for you,” she said. She works in the archives and finance office in Chatawa.
Sister Gloria Maria Foret, celebrating 61 years of profession, taught at McComb St. Alphonsus school in the Jackson diocese as well as serving at schools in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama. Sister Gloria is still teaching by going to Osyka a couple days a week to work with students who need some extra support in their studies.
She reflected on how each post changed how she ministered, especially the time she spent in Ghana, Africa. “Even though many of them were very poor they had so much to give and it was a wonderful place to me,” she said. “It helped me think and evaluate things from my own culture – like we are always rushing and keeping things ‘on time.’ And they are not like that – when they get there- that’s the time it’s supposed to be. They are so relaxed and into what’s happening and they are so ready to do things for others,” Sister Gloria added.
The whole community renewed their vows during the Mass and enjoyed a meal planned by the jubilarians.