Category Archives: Diocesan News

Sacrifice in thanksgiving

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Seminarian REFLECTION
By Deacon Aaron Williams

Aaron Williams

When I was a student at St. Joseph School in Madison,  each year I volunteered to serve the Baccalaureate Mass which Bishop Joseph Latino would celebrate for the graduating class. After a few years, I noticed that his homily each year had a common theme: thankfulness for Catholic education, for parents and for God’s many blessings.
Of course, all of us have much for which we may be thankful, but principally among these blessings is that of the extreme love of God – a love which is in a small way mirrored by the love of parents who make many sacrifices so that their children may have a good education, or even so that they may have what they need to live healthy and holy lives. Yet, the gift of God’s love, which was made Incarnate in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, is so generous that humankind, unaided, is incapable of rendering to him the true thanksgiving he deserves.
The paradox is that, in Christ, we are capable of giving proper thanks to God because he has blessed us with the proper means –”our thanksgiving is itself [his] gift,” as is said in one of the prefaces used at Mass. In the Old Testament, God commanded the chosen people to offer daily the Todah offering (cf. Leviticus 7:12). This was not a bloody offering like the sacrifices offered to atone for sins, but was an offering of unleavened cakes and oil.
The Hebrew word todah translates as ‘thanksgiving’ and thus this offering, unlike the sin offerings of flesh, was a purely sumptuous expression of man’s thankfulness to God.
It is interesting, therefore, that the apostles, when considering how they were going to refer to the daily offering of the Lord’s supper, chose to call it the Greek word eucharistia, which literally translates as ‘thanksgiving.’ The apostles recognized that the offering of bread and wine in the New Covenant was a continuation of the todah of the Old Covenant. But, unlike the Old Covenant, which required separate offerings for thanksgiving and for sin, this new sacrifice was not merely bread but also flesh.
It was not merely an offering in thanksgiving but an offering that atones for sins as well. In essence, Christ took the entire gambit of sacrifice from the Hebrew Temple system and refined it into his one sacrifice: i.e the Eucharist is at once the todah, the sin offerings and the Passover (Paschal) sacrifice.
This could not be the case unless this bread and this wine which are offered daily in the Mass were not more than mere food, but truly flesh as well. St. Thomas Aquinas summarizes this beautifully in the sequence he wrote for the feast of Corpus Christi – the Lauda Sion. He says: On this altar of the King this new Paschal Offering brings and end to ancient rite…Here beneath these signs are hidden priceless things, to sense forbidden; signs, not things are all we see. Flesh from bread and Blood from wine, yet is Christ in either sign, all entire confessed to be. And whoever of Him partakes, severs not, nor rends, nor breaks: all entire, their Lord receive.
As many young people are celebrating their own high school and college graduations, they would do well to take the advice of Bishop emeritus Latino and be thankful for the gift of their education, but I would add that they may best express their thankfulness through their continual participation in the supreme act of thanksgiving we have in the Mass – which means that as they leave their parents’ homes, they need to ask themselves where they will go to Mass this coming fall. How will they continue to offer Eucharistia to God for all his many gifts and blessings?
(Deacon Aaron M. Williams is preparing to begin his eighth year of seminary formation. For the next few months, he will be serving in a diaconate internship at Meridian Saints Patrick and Joseph parishes. During the summer, Aaron also participates in a program at the Liturgical Institute of the University of Saint Mary of the Lake near Chicago where he is pursuing a masters degree in liturgy. He and his classmate, Deacon Nick Adam, will be ordained priests for our diocese on May 31, 2018)

Pope Francis names bishop for Pensacola-Tallahassee

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By Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) –  Pope Francis has named Holy Cross Father William A. Wack, who is a pastor in Texas, to be the bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee.
Bishop-designate Wack, 49, has been pastor of St. Ignatius Martyr Parish in Austin, Texas, since 2009. He succeeds Bishop Gregory L. Parkes, who was named last November to head the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida.
The appointment was announced in Washington May 29 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
The date of Bishop-designate Wack’s episcopal ordination has not yet been determined.
“Now I know for sure that God is merciful, having called this sinner to serve in this capacity,” Bishop-designate Wack said May 29 in a statement about his appointment. “The first words which came to mind when I heard of the appointment were, ‘Lord I am not worthy … but only say the Word … .’ With joy and zeal, I accept this appointment, and I am thrilled to begin service to God’s people as a bishop.”
“While I am very sad to be leaving the parish of St. Ignatius Martyr in Austin … I couldn’t be more excited to move in and get to work here in the diocese,” he added.
He said he has always loved being a priest. “For me there is nothing higher than the privilege of celebrating the Eucharist and the other sacraments,” Bishop-designate Wack said. “Over the past 23 years I have grown tremendously in my faith, through the very mysteries I have served.”
As a Holy Cross priest, he continued, “I know of the power of the cross of Christ, and the hope that it brings to all creation. We in Holy Cross strive to be ‘educators in the faith’ wherever we go, and I am happy to continue to do this in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.
Bishop-designate Wack added: “While I embrace a leadership position in the church once again, I believe that I stand to learn much from the very people I will serve. We are all God’s children, for we have been given God’s Spirit. It is our sacred duty to celebrate and practice our faith together, and to make God known, loved and served in all that we do.”
“Father Wack is an exemplary priest who is well respected by his brother priests and loved by those he serves,” Bishop Joe S. Vasquez of Austin said in a statement. “Father Wack has been of great help to me, and I express my deep appreciation to him for his years of service in the Diocese of Austin.”
“As the people of Pensacola-Tallahassee come to know him, they will see his love for the church and his desire to serve his flock with warmth and compassion,” he added.
Holy Cross Father Thomas O’ Hara, provincial superior of the U. S. province of the Congregation of Holy Cross, called Bishop-designate Wack “a gifted pastor and administrator who possesses an extremely welcoming personality.”
“He is quick to reach out to all, is strong enough to lead and humble enough to listen. Above all, he is an outstanding priest who is passionate in his faith and absolutely dedicated to serving the people of God,” Father O’Hara said.
Bishop Parkes said he shared in the joy of Catholics of Pensacola-Tallahassee getting a new shepherd, who with the diocese “will be in my prayers during this time of transition.”
Since Bishop Parkes’ appointment to St. Petersburg, Msgr. James Flaherty has served as Pensacola-Tallahassee’s diocesan administrator.
Born June 28, 1967, in South Bend, Indiana, Bishop designate-Wack is the second-youngest of 10 children. His younger brother also is a Holy Cross priest, Father Neil Wack.
William A. Wack entered the novitiate for the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1989. He earned a bachelor of arts degree in government and international relations from the University of Notre Dame in 1989. He earned a master of divinity degree in 1993, also from Notre Dame.
He professed his final vows in 1993 and was ordained a priest April 9, 1994. His assignments after ordination included associate pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 1994-1997. He was associate director of vocations for his congregation from 1997-2002 at Notre Dame; at that time, he also was with the Holy Cross Associates, 1998-2002.
He then spent six years, from 2002 to 2008, as director of Andre House of Hospitality in downtown Phoenix, which is ministers to the city’s poor and homeless. It runs a soup kitchen, which serves more than 200,000 meals per year, and provides a small transition shelter for men and women; clothing and blanket distribution; and showers and lockers for its clients.
The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee covers about 14,000 square miles in Florida’s panhandle. Out of a total population of 1.46 million people, about 5 percent, or 67,316 people, are Catholic.

Ecumenical leaders call for context, nuance in Catholic-Lutheran dialogue

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By Colleen Dulle
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Swiss Cardinal Kurt Koch, renowned for his ecumenical efforts, addressed a Washington gathering of Catholic and Lutheran leaders striving for unity.
Cardinal Koch’s speech took place May 30 at “The 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther’s Posting of the Ninety-Five Theses Conference: Luther and the Shaping of the Catholic Tradition,” held at The Catholic University of America.
In his address, Cardinal Koch called for a new understanding of Martin Luther that takes into account his historical and religious context.
The cardinal, who leads the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, outlined how Luther was grounded in the monastic and mystical traditions of late medieval Catholicism, like Christ-centered theology.
He also pointed out that the reforms Luther called for were not extraordinary in their time: similar reforms were gaining traction elsewhere, like the “devotio moderna,” or “modern devotion,” movement in the Netherlands that called for humility and simplicity in the church, or the first multilingual edition of Scripture that was published in Spain in 1515.
Luther, the cardinal said, never intended for his reforms to divide the church, just as medieval reformers such as St. Francis and St. Dominic never intended to found new religious orders. They only intended to reform the church from within.
Cardinal Koch said the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages was partly to blame for the division.
“If Martin Luther’s call for reform and repentance had found open ears among the bishops of the time and of the pope in Rome, the reform intended to be initiated by him (Luther) would not have become the Reformation. For the fact that the original reform of the church became instead a church-dividing reformation, the Catholic Church of the time must bear its share of the blame,” Cardinal Koch said.
He pointed out that it wasn’t until later in his life that Luther began to call into question the role and structure of the church. Because of this, he said, it isn’t fair to see the posting of Luther’s theses as the moment the church split into Lutheranism and Catholicism.
Koch stated that political leaders in Germany were largely responsible for the formation of a distinct Lutheran Church about 100 years after Luther wrote his theses.
Still, he said, Luther’s essential question about the role of the church remains important and must be addressed in the dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans going forward.
Additionally, reconciliation must be a guiding theme in the conversation, the cardinal said, referencing Pope Francis’ words in Sweden last year.
Cardinal Koch said that Catholics must continue to apologize for their sometimes-violent offenses, like wars, against other religious groups, just as Lutherans must apologize for the way it has painted the pre-Reformation Catholic Church over the years.
The cardinal also called for a consensus between Catholics and Lutherans on Luther’s doctrine of justification –  the idea that a person is saved through faith rather than actions. “After 500 years of division,” the cardinal said, “we must strive for a binding communion and put it into effect already today.”    
Retired Lutheran Bishop Eero Huovinen of the Diocese of Helsinki responded to the Cardinal Koch’s address, saying he agreed with everything the cardinal had said.
Bishop Huovinen focused his response instead on the 2015 Catholic-Lutheran joint “Declaration on the Way: Church, Ministry and the Eucharist,” which attempts to reach common theological ground between the two groups.
Both speakers praised the progress already made to reconcile Catholics and Lutherans. They called for the 500th anniversary of the theses to be a jumping off point for a more nuanced effort toward reconciliation going forward.
The May 30-June 1 conference at Catholic University was co-sponsored by Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Catholic University’s School of Theology and religious Studies, the Vatican’s Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences, and the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

Martin Luther, a German monk, is depicted in this painting at a church in Helsingor, Denmark. The issue of papal authority was the one point that led Luther to break from the Catholic Church, according to a Catholic University of America professor who will speak at a May 30-June 1 symposium on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation co-sponsored by the university in Washington. (CNS photo/Crosiers)

Durant Sisters remembered, honored in town where they served

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By Ruthie Robison
DURANT — A downpour of rain didn’t dampen a dedication and blessing ceremony of a monument to honor the lives of Sisters Margaret Held, SCN, and Paula Merrill, SSSF.
A crowd of about 100 gathered Saturday, May 20, in Durant’s Liberty Park and weathered the Saturday afternoon storm to pay tribute to the two Sisters, who both made a lasting impact on the community in which they resided for the last 15 years of their lives.
Merrill, who was with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth based in Nazareth, Kentucky, and Held, who was with the School Sisters of St. Francis based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were slain in their Durant home on Aug. 25, 2016. They were both 68.
The two nurse practitioners worked at Lexington Medical Clinic and attended St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington, located about 10 miles west from their home.
“It was wonderful to see so many people come here from around the country,” said the Rev. Greg Plata, OFM, pastor of St. Thomas, who led the service. “Even though it was a horrible day weather-wise, that did not deter from the joy of the day that we come together. I think that every time I go that way, (the monument) will be a place for me to stop and say a prayer and be thankful to God for these two amazing women. It’s just a great way to remember our sisters.”
Some of those attending the event included Durant city leaders, family members and longtime friends of Held and Merrill, staff members and patients of Lexington Medical Clinic and parishioners of St. Thomas.
The dedication service featured speakers Durant Mayor Tasha Davis and Bishop Joseph Kopacz, songs, prayer, Scripture readings and the unveiling of the monument.
To start the event, Davis welcomed those attending.
“I know it is a sad event that we’re here, but they were such wonderful people,” she said. “The Bible teaches us to give honor where honor is due, and we can all agree that it is befitting to honor these two ladies who left an everlasting mark on the city of Durant and Holmes County as a whole.”
Before blessing the monument, Kopacz spoke of the sisters’ service to their communities.
“Just as from the heavens the rain and the snow come down and accomplish what they’re sent to do, so Sister Paula and Sister Margaret came to these communities, accomplished God’s mission and returned to life fulfilled in heaven,” he said.
 After the unveiling, several people in attendance shared sentiments about Held and Merrill.
Mary James, who worked with the Sisters at Lexington Medical Clinic, said that she and the other staff members at the clinic were truly blessed to have known both Held and Merrill.
“They took me under their wings, and we became family,” she said. “The sisters’ angelic presence was so great. We miss them daily. … Whenever we get a little down or teary-eyed, we remember these words, ‘Let love win.’ If the sisters were here today, they would probably say something like this: ‘There’s no love like forgiveness, and there’s no forgiveness without love.'”
Held’s brother, James Held, spoke of his sister’s love for the people of Durant and Holmes County.
“We always tried to convince her to come back to the Midwest,” he said. “We never could convince her to come back, and we missed her. She loved you so much, and she stayed and she gave her life for all of you.”
James said that the Held family has felt terrible pain since his sister’s tragic death, but he also knows that the pain felt by the members of the Mississippi community where she touched so many lives must be equally as bad.
“Now that she has passed we have our sorrow, but we think of your sorrow,” he said. “You saw her every day. She touched your lives on a daily basis, and now you have that gap that Margaret’s gone, and you’re reminded of that all the time.”
Merrill’s family was unable to attend the ceremony. Connie Blake, a longtime friend of Merrill’s and an associate with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, spoke on behalf of the family.
“Sister Paula was my friend for over 49 years,” she said. “One thing she said she always wanted to do was to follow what we’ve all been asked to do, and that’s to love one another and to care for one another, and indeed that was her life’s work.”
Blake said she and Merrill’s family are humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support they continue to receive.
Held and Merrill “would be astonished and somewhat embarrassed by all of this attention,” she said. “Paula and Margaret were quiet, humble and simple women, who lived out their passion to serve the undeserved in Mississippi.”
Durant Alderwoman Carolyn Riley led a grassroots effort to memorialize Held and Merrill with the monument at Liberty Park. Riley, who did not know the sisters personally, said she was touched in the wake of the tragedy when she heard the many stories about what all the women did for the community — taking care of the sick and uninsured, providing medicine for those who could not afford it and even helping someone sign up for disability.
“I feel like their love was heartfelt to the community. The service they gave to the community, because it came from the heart, it touches the heart,” she said. “When I saw (the people of Durant) so hurt and so distraught, it touched my heart, and I said, ‘We cannot forget them,’ because they did so much for us, not only in Durant but Holmes County. They shouldn’t be forgotten. I want my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren to always remember them.”
After a closing prayer and blessing by Father Plata, a memorial Mass was held at St. Thomas, followed by a fish fry.
With the storms passed and the sun out and shining, parishioners and guests gathered outside St. Thomas to dry off and share memories of the sisters before the church service.
Sister Michele Doyle, SSSF, of Ridgeland, who also teaches a weekly Bible study at the church, remembered Held and Merrill as women who did “all the right things.”
“They recycled. They had their own garden. They lived a very simple life. They were helping the poor,” she said. “They were my very good friends, and I miss them a lot.”
A couple of nurses who are both members of the church talked about how Held and Merrill were respected in the local medical community and would go out of their way to help any of their patients.
“They were just so generous with their time and their money, and they treated everybody so personably,” said Barbara Bogy, a registered nurse at University Hospital-Lexington.
“They were just goodness walking,” added Beverly Brown, now retired from the Health Department in Lexington. “You couldn’t find a patient who didn’t love them to pieces, because they helped everybody.”
The group reminisced about Merrill’s delicious oatmeal cookies that she would bring to church potlucks and Held’s salads, featuring veggies from her garden and a homemade dressing, which she brought to the weekly Bible study class.
“They were excellent cooks,” said Sister Doyle.
Jamie Sample, the music leader at St. Thomas, said that the past several months have been hard for the 35-member parish.
“They were like our family, and they were my choir. Every time I pick the music out, I cry,” she said. “We just miss them so much. It’s just left such a void. They did so much that we didn’t even know that they did.”
Sister Tonya Severin, vice provincial for the Western Province of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, who knew Merrill for the past 14 years, said she thought the monument would be a way for the people of Durant and Holmes County to keep a connection to Held and Merrill.
“They were such a presence to the people of this area that I think if they just go to that memorial and just sit there and talk or touch it, somehow that touching can bring back some of that connection again and can be a way to find strength to go on, because that’s what they brought to us,” she said. “I think it isn’t just their deaths that are important, it’s their lives. They lived with the message of Jesus, that we are to give of ourselves in loving service to others, and that’s what they did so unobtrusively.”
As the rain began to fall during the dedication ceremony, Sister Ramona Schmidtknecht, SSSF, of Holly Springs, said she immediately thought about telephone conversations she had with her friend, Held.
“She would call us from Durant and ask if we got rain, and she’d say, ‘Oh, it missed us again,’ and she said, ‘It goes everywhere around us but in Durant,’” said Schmidtknecht. “She would want rain for her flowers, and she said, ‘We just don’t get it.’ She brought the rain today, but I thought, ‘OK, but not so much.’”
(Ruthie Robison is the lifestyles editor for the Greenwood Commonwealth and a member of Greenwood Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish.)

A memorial dedicated to Sister Paula Merrill, SCN, and Sister Margaret Held, SSSF, was blessed and dedicated Saturday, May 20 in Durant, Miss.

DURANT – A memorial dedicated to Sister Paula Merrill, SCN, and Sister Margaret Held, SSSF, was blessed and dedicated Saturday, May 20 in Durant, Miss. The women, who were murdered in their home last fall, were nurse practitioners at a local health clinic. A town alderwoman got the idea to place a memorial in the park at the center of town. The skies opened up during the service, drenching all who attended (Photos by Ruthie Robison)

Calendar of events

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Correction
JACKSON Tickets for the Catholic Charities Bishops’ Ball scheduled for Saturday, June 10, at Jackson Country Club are $85 per person. The dinner and auction event starts at 6:30 p.m. Details: 601-355-8634. The price printed in the last edition was incorrect. We regret the error.

SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT
ABERDEEN St. Francis of Assisi, Bible study, held on the last Sunday of each month after Mass in the parish hall. Details: (662) 813-2295.
BROOKSVILLE Dwelling Place Retreat Center, “Transitions and Transformation,” June 9-11. Facilitators: Dr. Francis Baird, LPC, has a private counseling practice in Columbus & Starkville; Clare Van Lent, MA CSp, Dwelling Place director. Begins at 5:30 p.m. Some of the topics that will be dealt with during this retreat will be: realizing my gifts, overcoming my fears, addressing my regrets, exploring my lost dreams. This weekend will be a time to explore these issues in the light of faith. Donation $180. Details: Sheila Avery, secretary, (662) 738-5348 or www.dwellingplace.com to register online.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Cursillistas interested in forming a men’s prayer group. Details: call Wayne Miller at (901) 679-3400.
RIDGELAND Hospice Ministries volunteer training program, June 9-10. Volunteers are always in need to answer the call of helping others during one of life’s most trying experiences, terminal illness. It is a fast-paced program filled with speakers (and refreshments). Friday, June 9 – 5:30-8:30 p.m. and Saturday, June 10 1-5 p.m. Details: call Volunteer Services at (601) 898-1053 ext. 258.
JACKSON St. James Episcopal Church “Walking the Mourners’ Path” a 6-week course beginning Sunday, June 4, offers comfort and healing for whatever stage of grief you may be in. Details: call Ann at (769) 257-2377 or mclemore.a@a@gmail.com.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Book Club resumes with a study of a Christian classic, “Mere Christianity” by C.S. Lewis. Beginning Tuesday, June 6 on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. in the O’Connor Family Life Center. You can download the discussion questions at cslewis.org/resources/studyguides. Details:  (601) 445-5616.

PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS
GREENVILLE Steve Azar Delta Soul Celebrity Golf and Charity Event, June 8-10. Details: General Info: info@steveazarsaintceciliafoundation.org or Delta Soul deltasoul@sascf.org.
– Reggie Smith Baseball Clinic, Thursday, June 8, 8 a.m. – noon, Delta Sportsplex, held in conjunction with Delta Soul Celebrity and Charity event. Ages 9 years and older. Cost: $10 per player and all proceeds will benefit the Delta Sportsplex. Details: Beth Giachelli (662) 822-6632 giachelliphotography@hotmail.com or Jeffrey Giachelli (662) 822-6836 jeffrey.giachelli@farmsourceag.com.
JACKSON St. Therese, CWA Garage Sale, Saturday, June 10, 7 a.m. – noon in the gym. Proceeds benefit the parish projects of the St. Therese CWA. Drop-off times are Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. & June 5-8, 5-7 p.m. Details: church office, (601) 372-4481.
MERIDIAN Catholic Community of St. Patrick and St. Joseph, the Knights of Peter Claver will be selling fish and rib plates on Saturday, June 3, 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the corner of 8th Street and 26th Avenue. If 10 or more tickets are purchased, knights will deliver within the city limits. Details: tickets may be purchased from any Knights of Peter Claver member or call (601) 938-5757.
VICKSBURG St. Michael, meals on wheels next service day is Friday, June 9, 8 a.m. in the Parish Hall. Help is needed with cooking, boxing or delivering the meals, or if you like to donate a dessert, salad, or bread. Details: contact Carrie Meyer at (601) 218-1007 or Jennifer Vincent at (601) 529-3230.

YOUTH BRIEFS
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Vacation Bible School, June 26-30, 6 – 8:30 p.m. Teen helpers ages 12+ only. Please fill out registration forms and put in basket in back of the church starting the first Sunday in June. Details: Lucy Holland at (662) 429-1188.
JACKSON Sister Thea Bowman School, Enrollment is now underway for 2017-18 school year. Details: contact Shae Robinson at (601) 352-5441.
MADISON St. Francis of Assisi, Hero Central Vacation Bible School. Many heroes are needed to volunteer to teach, assist, work in the kitchen, decorate, and babysit on June 19-23. Details: contact Mary Catherine at mc.george@stfrancismadison.org or (601)-856-5556 to volunteer.
MERIDIAN St. Patrick School, Pre-registration continues for the 2017-18 school year. Registration fee is $300. Details: (601) 482-6044
OXFORD St. John, Vacation Bible School, June 5-9, youth- ages 4 – entering 4th grade. pro-life themed program where kids will learn to discover, respect, protect, serve and celebrate life. Volunteers welcome. Details: contact Kristin Whelan at (404) 538-9100 or kmwhelan8@gmail.com.
SOUTHAVEN Sacred Heart School (PreK-4 through 8th grade) is holding open enrollment for new families.  Sacred Heart is one of three national finalists for Innovations in Catholic Education for Promoting Catholic Identity. Details: Contact principal Bridget Martin (662) 349-0900 or bmartin@shsm.org  

Correction
JACKSON Tickets for the Catholic Charities Bishops’ Ball scheduled for Saturday, June 10, at Jackson Country Club are $85 per person. The dinner and auction event starts at 6:30 p.m. Details: 601-355-8634. The price printed in the last edition was incorrect. We regret the error.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful

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By Bishop Joseph Kopacz
The power of God’s Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is once again at the center of the Church’s public prayer as we celebrate the Ascension on this weekend, with the exalted feast of Pentecost to follow.
“Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love… and we shall renew the face of the earth.” During the past month the Holy Spirit has kept me active with the celebration of 16 Confirmations to date around the diocese, confirming God’s presence in the lives of our young disciples. In a noteworthy manner our Sacred Mission and Vision come alive through Confirmation as we embrace the diversity of gifts, ministries and works of the Holy Spirit, serve others in many creative ways, and, of course, inspire disciples in the knowledge and understanding that Jesus is Lord, and God is our Father. The fullness of Christian Initiation is accomplished with the mark of holy Chrism, and the promises made at Baptism by parents and godparents have been realized. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit’s blessings is evident in the love of family, godparents, friends and the parish community. There are no visible tongues of fire upon the heads of the newly confirmed, but the slow and steady fire of faith has been burning and the love of the risen Lord is evident.
In the midst of the Confirmation campaign we honored our beloved religious, Sister Paula Merrill, SCN and Sister Margaret Held, SSSF, who were murdered last fall. Faithful friends and family gathered with prayer and the blessing and unveiling of their monument in Liberty Park in downtown Durant. It was a spirited gathering, comprised of people from the local community, from St. Thomas parish in Lexington, from their religious communities based in Kentucky and Wisconsin, and from the faithful from around the diocese of Jackson.
The Holy Spirit, the pledge of eternal life, was our consolation, hope and peace. As we began the the prayer service the heavens opened, and accompanying the presence of the Holy Spirit, was also an outpouring, or better said, down pouring of torrential rains, Mississippi’s abundance. This drenching had the whole package with sights and sounds, lightening and thunder. This display of God’s creations often overwhelmed the words of prayer, but it did not dampen our spirits and resolve to give fitting tribute to the sisters’ lives and deaths in service to the Lord and to the poor. In some profound way, it was like a dialogue between heaven and earth.
Nature spoke and we could only pause and wait, and then we responded with prayer that pierced the clouds. In the end we blessed the monument, and their lives and deaths will stand as a testimony to loving service over the course of a lifetime in this stressed area of our state.
We recall that the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, minds, and souls is a foretaste of the promise of eternal life, and the feast of heaven. This is true for all believers who are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and further strengthened in the Sacrament of Confirmation. As a visible sign of this interior reality the vowed lives of the religious and ordained among us point to our goal to be with the Lord forever. They remind us that our citizenship is in heaven, and that we have no lasting city here. The violent deaths of Sisters Paula and Margaret only serve to deepen the conviction in the wisdom of the sacred scriptures that “blessed are they who die in the Lord, let them rest from their labors for their good deeds go with them.” They remain with us as witnesses to the truth, that whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
The blessings of the Holy Spirit dwell within us and surround us in countless ways. Over the next week we can all enrich our journey to Pentecost by praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Most often we pray in the power of the Spirit through the name of Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father. During these days we can pray more intentionally to the Holy Spirit to inspire us, to free us from sin, to empower us to live the gospel, and to lovingly serve as disciples of the Lord.  
Come, Holy Spirit, renew the face of the earth.

Tutwiler sister honored by alma mater

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By Maureen Smith
Dr. Anne Brooks, SNJM, received the Walter Patenge Award from the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine on Monday, May 8.  She was one of three distinguished alumni to get the award this year. It honors Michigan state alumni for their commitment to excellence in medicine, government and public service.
Brooks, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary and an MSUCOM alumna, is the medical director and chief administrator of the Tutwiler Clinic in Tutwiler, Mississippi. She also serves as a staff physician at Merit Health Northwest Mississippi, clinical adjunct faculty member and Mississippi preceptor for osteopathic and allopathic medical students in the U.S. and Toronto, and a clinical instructor for nurse practitioner and physician assistant students in Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama.
She has served in Mississippi for 34 years. Tallahatchie General Hospital acquired the clinic last year. The partnership was a win for the hospital, staff and community as it broadened the resources available and helped the hospital reach more patients.
The award is named for Walter F. Patenge, the first president of the Michigan Osteopathic Medicine Advisory Board.

LANSING, MI – Sister Anne Brooks receiving her Patenge award citation from William Strampel, dean of the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine. (Photo courtesy MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine)

Health Dept. offers crisis communication help

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – The Mississippi Department of Public Health invited representatives of at-risk populations to a workshop on Thursday, May 18, to work on improving communications. Dorothy Balser, disaster recovery coordinator for Catholic Charities, attended on behalf of the organization and the diocese.
Before the workshop, participants took a survey to better direct the day’s activities. “They asked which at-risk populations does your group serve, what threats are they concerned about, what communication channels do they use and what sources does that at-risk group turn to and trust,” said Balser. The workshop was meant to help the Health Department open new avenues to communicate sensitive information in times of crisis and help organizations think more strategically about their own communication with their clients.
Tim Tinker, Director of Strategic Communications at Atlas Research in Washington D.C., helped facilitate the day. He talked about cultural or socio-economic factors that might make reaching one group or another harder. For example, language barriers, lack of access to technology or the internet, a cultural mindset that might make a population mistrust a government source. The health department can use this information to craft more effective messages when there is a threat to public health, such as an illness outbreak, a time when water is contaminated or after a natural disaster. The night before the workshop a water main in Vickburg burst, cutting off the supply of water to 40,000 people. Liz Sharlot, spokesperson for the department of health, said her department already had guidelines, precautions and other information posted to its website and urged participants to share that information with their clients.
Tinker explained that in times of emergency, organizations must keep their messages to their simplest and most direct formats.
“He used the term 27, nine, three for the idea that your message should be 27 words, about nine seconds and only have three points,” said Balser. “He explained that you should not give people too much information when there is a crisis, they are already overwhelmed, be succinct,” Balser continued.
Organization representatives were invited to put their own challenges and information on large sheets of paper around the room. Members of the health department’s communication team will type up all the information and share it with participants.
At the end of the day, each representative was asked to come up with an aspiration statement for how they would use the information they gleaned to improve their communication.

Hermanas religiosas recordadas con un monumento

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DURANT – Un aguacero no amortiguó la ceremonia de dedicación y bendición de un monumento para honrar las vidas de las hermanas Margaret Held y Paula Merrill.
Una multitud de 100 personas se reunieron el 20 de mayo en el Parque de la Libertad en Durant y resistieron la tormenta para honrar a las dos monjas, que hicieron un impacto en la comunidad en la que residieron durante los últimos 15 años de sus vidas.
Merrill, una hermana de la Caridad de Nazaret y Held, una hermana de la Escuela de San Francisco fueron asesinadas en su casa el 25 de agosto de 2016. Las dos trabajaron en la Clínica Médica de Lexington y asistieron a la iglesia Católica Santo Tomás en Lexington.
“Fue maravilloso ver a tanta gente venir de todo el país”, dijo el reverendo Greg Plata, OFM, pastor de Santo Tomás, quien dirigió el servicio. “A pesar de que fue un día horrible en cuanto al tiempo, eso no disuadió de la alegría del día en que nos reunimos. Cada vez que voy por ese camino (el monumento) voy a agradecer a Dios por estas dos mujeres increíbles. Es una manera grandiosa de recordar a nuestras hermanas.”
Algunos de los asistentes incluyeron líderes de la ciudad de Durant, familiares, amigos, personal y pacientes de la clínica y feligreses de Santo Tómas. El servicio contó con la presencia del alcalde de Durant, Tasha Davis, y del obispo Joseph Kopacz, cantos, oraciones, lecturas bíblicas y la inauguración del monumento.
Para iniciar el evento, Davis dio la bienvenida a los asistentes. “La Biblia nos enseña a dar honor donde se debe el honor y todos podemos estar de acuerdo en que es digno de honrar a estas dos señoras que dejaron una marca eterna en la ciudad de Durant y el condado de Holmes.”
Antes de bendecir el monumento, Kopacz habló del servicio de las hermanas a sus comunidades. “Así como de los cielos la lluvia y la nieve bajan y cumplen lo que se les manda hacer, la Hermana Paula y la Hermana Margaret también llegaron a estas comunidades, cumplieron la misión de Dios y les devolvieron la vida cumplida en el cielo,” dijo.
Después de la inauguración, varias personas compartieron sentimientos sobre Held y Merrill. Mary James, quien trabajó en la clínica, dijo que ella y los otros miembros del personal de la clínica fueron verdaderamente bendecidos por haber conocido a Held y Merrill. “Me tomaron bajo sus alas, y nos hicimos familia. La presencia angélica de las hermanas fue tan grande. Los extrañamos todos los días.”
El hermano de Held, James Held, habló del amor de su hermana por la gente, “Siempre tratamos de convencerla de que regresara al medio oeste. Nunca pudimos convencerla de que regresara y la extrañamos. Ella te quería tanto y ella se quedó y dio su vida por todos ustedes.”
Carolyn Riley, concejal de Durant, dirigió el esfuerzo para conmemorar Held y Merrill con el monumento. Riley, que no conocía personalmente a las hermanas, dijo que la tragedia la afectó cuando escuchó las historias sobre lo que las hermanas hicieron por la comunidad – cuidando a los enfermos y los sin seguranza, proporcionando medicamentos para los quien no pudieron pagar, e incluso ayudar a algunos a inscribiese para la discapacidad.
Después de una bendición, se llevó a cabo una misa en Santo Tomás, seguida de una comida de pescado. Hermana Michelle Doyle, SSSF, recordó a Held y a Merrill como mujeres que hacían “todas las cosas correctas”. “Reciclaron. Tenían su propio jardín. Vivían una vida muy simple. Estaban ayudando a los pobres. Fueron mis amigas y las extraño mucho.”  
Hermana Tonya Severin, vice-provincial de la Provincia Occidental de las Hermanas de la Caridad de Nazaret, dijo que el monumento sería una forma para que la gente de Durant mantengan una conexión con Held y Merrill. “Vivieron con el mensaje de Jesús, que debemos entregarnos a nosotros mismos en servicio amoroso a los demás y eso es lo que hicieron tan discretamente.”

DURANT – Un memorial dedicado a la Hermana Paula Merrill, SCN y la Hermana Margaret Held, SSSF fue bendecido y dedicado el sábado 20 de mayo.(Fotos de Ruthie Robison)

Departamento de Salud ofrece ayuda para la comunicación

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Por Maureen Smith
JACKSON – El Departamento de Salud Pública de Mississippi invitó a representantes de las poblaciones en riesgo a un taller el jueves, 18 de mayo, para trabajar en mejorar las comunicaciones. Dorothy Balser, coordinadora de recuperación de desastres de Caridades Católicas, asistió en nombre de la organización y la diócesis.
Antes del taller, los participantes hicieron una encuesta para dirigir mejor las actividades del día. “Preguntaron qué poblaciones de riesgo su grupo sirve, de qué amenazas están preocupadas, qué canales de comunicación utilizan y en qué fuentes el grupo de riesgo se vuelve y confía”, dijo Balser. El taller tenía como objetivo ayudar al Departamento de Salud a abrir nuevas vías para comunicar información sensible en tiempos de crisis y ayudar a las organizaciones a pensar de manera más estratégica sobre su propia comunicación con sus clientes.
Tim Tinker, director de comunicaciones estratégicas de Atlas Research en Washington D.C. llegó a Jackson desde Atlanta para ayudar a facilitar el día. Habló de factores culturales o socioeconómicos que podrían hacer más difícil alcanzar a un grupo. Por ejemplo, las barreras del idioma, la falta de acceso a la tecnología, una mentalidad cultural que podría hacer que una población desconfíe de una fuente gubernamental. El departamento de salud puede utilizar esta información para elaborar mensajes más efectivos cuando existe una amenaza para la salud pública, como un brote de enfermedad, un momento en que el agua está contaminada o después de un desastre natural. La noche anterior al taller, una corriente de agua en Vicksburg estalló, cortando el suministro de agua a 40.000 personas. Liz Sharlot, portavoz del departamento de salud, dijo que su departamento ya tenía directrices, precauciones y otra información publicada en su sitio web e instó a los participantes a compartir esa información con sus clientes.
Tinker explicó que en tiempos de emergencia, como un desastre natural o un momento en que puede haber una amenaza para la salud pública, las organizaciones deben mantener sus mensajes en sus formatos más simples y directos. “Utilizó el término 27, 9, 3 para la idea de que su mensaje debe ser de 27 palabras, unos nueve segundos y sólo tiene tres mensajes”, dijo Balser. “Él explicó que usted no debe dar a la gente demasiada información cuando hay una crisis, ya están abrumados, ser sucinta”, continuó Balser.
Representantes de la organización fueron invitados a poner sus propios retos y la información en hojas de papel grandes alrededor de la sala. Los miembros del equipo de comunicación del departamento de salud escribirán toda la información y la compartirán con los participantes.
Al final del día, a cada representante se le pidió que presentara una declaración de aspiración para saber cómo usarían la información que recopilaron para mejorar su comunicación.