December Mississippi Catolico
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Category Archives: Diocesan News
Pope names Texas Msgr. Bishop of Biloxi, accepts Bishop Morin’s resignation
BILOXI — Pope Francis named Msgr. Louis Kihneman III, 64, as Bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi, and accepted the resignation of Bishop Roger Morin, 75, from the pastoral governance of that diocese on Friday, Dec. 16. Msgr. Kihneman is a priest of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, Texas, and currently serves as vicar general.
He will be installed at a Mass at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in Biloxi on Feb. 17, 2017, at 2:30 p.m..
Msgr. Kihneman III, was born on Feb. 17, 1952, in Lafayette, Louisiana. He holds a bachelor of arts degree and master degrees in religious education and theology from the University of St. Thomas, Houston. He attended St. Mary’s Seminary, Houston, and was ordained as a priest of the Diocese of Corpus Christi on Nov. 18, 1977.
“I would like to personally welcome Monsignor Louis Kihneman to Mississippi and wish him all the best as he makes the transition to the episcopacy. He brings with him a wealth of experience, having served in many churches in the Gulf South as well as in Mexico. I will keep him in my prayers and I look forward to serving with him in the Magnolia state for many years to come,” said Bishop Joseph Kopacz of Jackson. “I would also like to thank Bishop Roger Morin for his many years of devoted service and wish him a peaceful and prayerful retirement.”
Assignments after ordination included, parochial vicar at San Isidro Labrador Church, Arteaga, Mexico, 1977; St. Anthony of Padua Church, Robstown, Texas, 1978; Christ the King parish, Corpus Christi, 1980; Saints Cyril and Methodius Church, Corpus Christi, 1981. Pastor, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Alice, 1983; diocesan director of vocations and seminarians, 1986-1993; director, St. John Vianney House of Studies, 1986-1993; director of Christian leadership vocations, 1986-1993; pastor, Sacred Heart Church, Rockport, 1993-2011; vicar general, 2010-present; pastor, St. Philip Church, Corpus Christi, 2014 – present.
Other assignments include marriage tribunal advocate, diocesan director of religious education, priest personnel board, associate vicar for clergy, presbyteral council member and as chancellor.
Bishop Roger P. Morin was born on March 7, 1941, in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was ordained a priest on April 15, 1971; he was appointed auxiliary bishop of New Orleans on February 11, 2003, and ordained a bishop on April 22, 2003. He was appointed bishop of Biloxi on Feb. 23, 2009.
The Diocese of Biloxi, originally part of the Diocese of Jackson, comprises 9,653 square miles in the state of Mississippi. It has a total population of 818,801 people of which 57,912 or seven percent, are Catholic.
Charities saves money, improves services with new headquarters
By Elsa Baughman
JACKSON – Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, Catholic Charities’ offices will be moving to a pair of adjacent buildings in Jackson. The administrative, finance and development offices are being moved to 850 E. River Place and the offices for the Therapeutic Foster Care and adoption will be in the facility next door, 840 E. River Place.
The new offices have easy access from Interstate 55 using the Fortification Street exit and have a lot more parking spaces than the current facility in downtown Jackson.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz said that he and all the senior staff and program directors “are of one mind that the new location will better serve our staff and clients in the years ahead.” He noted the office space layout for each program is a better arrangement, giving each program its own access and privacy.
An exterior shot of the new Catholic Charities headquarters.
“The cost savings for the five-year lease will help to stabilize the finances immediately for Catholic Charities,” he said, adding that the new sites represent a savings of $70,000 to $110,000 a year. “There are 160 employees in the organization and the new personnel director has been a very positive influence,” he said. He believes the new location and strengthened morale will benefit the recruitment of a new executive director. That search will start in the first quarter of the new year.
Shamir Lee and Dianne Williams, who work at the Therapeutic Foster Care division of children’s services, are excited about the new office space. “The space is bigger, so we will have a lot of more room to store materials and the best thing is that we each have our own office space,” said Lee who was unpacking her office on Dec. 7 along with Williams. Both are also happy that the kitchen is bigger than the one in the downtown building.
Renee Tanner, administrative assistant at the Therapeutic Foster Care division, thinks her work is going to be more efficient now that they will have space to conduct private
Amy Turner, director of Childrens’ Services, and Rena’ Tanner, administrative assistant in Therapeutic Foster Care, set up their new offices at Catholic Charities’ new headquarters on River Place in Jackson. (Photo by Elsa Baughman)
meetings with their clients other than their own offices. “In this building we will have an area where we can have family meeting without interruptions,” she said, adding that there will have more privacy to discuss issues pertaining to their personal cases.
Bishop Kopacz said that parking will be much better and eliminates yet another additional cost. At the downtown facility, the agency had to rent parking from a contractor. The building itself did not have the spaces needed. Michael Thomas, development director, mentioned that parking as one of the greatest advantages of the new location.
The office move is not the only one in the works for Catholic Charities. The Domestic Violence Shelter has purchased a building in a new location and will relocate when renovations are complete.
The shelter provides secure housing, day care for children, life skills training and legal resources for women and children who wish to leave an abusive situation. Staff has been looking for a new location for more than a year. They are continuing to provide services during the transition to the new facility.
(Editor’s note: The Catholic Charities Annual report is inserted in this edition of Mississippi Catholic)
Baughman bids farewell, honored for 20 years of service
By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Mississippi Catholic says goodbye this month to one of its most loyal and longest-standing employees, Elsa Baughman, editor of Mississippi Catolico. 
Baughman celebrated her 20th anniversary with the Chancery earlier this year. She was hired part-time in 1996 as the office manager for the paper, but that soon changed. In the fall of 1997, Baughman helped put together the first edition of the paper in Spanish.
Then, it was called Mensajero, which loosely translates to ‘the message.’ The effort was supported through a grant from the Catholic Foundation and only published once-a-quarter.
Baughman, a native of Venezuela, was perfect for the role as shepherd of the new venture. She holds a master of communication and taught Spanish, making her bilingual in both speech and print. She is a co-founder of the Mississippi Hispanic Association.
Baughman helped bring the first Spanish Masses to the Diocese of Jackson and continues to be an advocate for the Hispanic community here.
She moved to the Magnolia state to study at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg where she met her husband, Brian. The two raised two daughters and are now enjoying a pair of grandchildren.
Mississippi Catholic will continue to publish a Spanish language insert once a month, but will now depend on freelance and parishioner submissions for content. Baughman will continue to be a freelance member of this team.
On a personal note, I will miss her boundless energy and creativity. She was a great help to me when I first arrived in this office and was not quite sure what I had gotten myself into. I hope you will join me in wishing her a long and adventurous retirement.
(Maureen Smith is the Communications Director for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson.)
Charities’ office offers National Migration Week celebrations
By Amelia McGowan
VARDAMAN – The Northeast Mississippi office of Catholic Charities of Jackson is preparing for its third annual National Migration Week celebration, “Creating a Culture of Encounter,” which will take place in locations throughout northeastern Mississippi during Jan. 8-14, 2017. The events will include Eucharistic celebrations, cultural expressions and legal workshops conducted by Catholic Charities’ Migrant Support Center.
With this celebration, the Diocese of Jackson joins dioceses throughout the country in reflecting upon the circumstances confronting migrants in the country, including immigrants, refugees, children and victims and survivors of violent crimes and human trafficking. The theme for National Migration Week 2017 draws attention to Pope Francis’ call to create a culture of encounter, and in doing so to look beyond our own needs and wants to those of others around us.
In the homily given at his first Pentecost as pope, he emphasized the importance of encounter in the Christian faith: “For me this word is very important. Encounter with others. Why? Because faith is an encounter with Jesus, and we must do what Jesus does: encounter others.”
While Mississippi’s immigrant population is not as large as more populous states, it is growing rapidly. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Mississippi’s foreign-born population rose from 0.8 percent of the total statewide population in 1990, to 1.4 percent in 2000, and to 2.1 percent in 2013.
The kickoff for National Migration Week is Sunday, January 8, at Tupelo St. James with a bilingual screening of the film “The Invisibles” from 2:30-4:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, Jan. 10, I will provide an immigration workshop and legal consultations at Ripley St. Matthew Parish from 6 – 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 11, will feature Eucharistic celebrations commemorating National Migration Week throughout the area. I will provide a second immigration workshop at Corinth St. James Parish on Thursday, Jan. 12, from 6 – 8 p.m.
The week concludes with a Night of Cultural Expression on Friday, Jan. 13, from 6 – 8 p.m. at a location to be determined, and a closing ceremony at St. James Parish on Saturday, Jan. 14, which will feature Sister Gabriela Ramirez from Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Birmingham, Ala., from 3 – 4:30 p.m.
All are welcome to join in the National Migration Week festivities as we celebrate the diversity of our towns and parishes. For more information about the week’s events call 662-682-9992.
(Amelia McGowan is the Program Director and an Immigration Attorney for Catholic Charities’ Migrant Support Center.)
Deacon Miller brings Mississippi connection to MLK celebration
By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Deacon Art Miller of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn., is the homilist for this year’s diocesan Martin Luther King, Jr., memorial celebration and Mass, sponsored by the Office of Black Catholic Ministry, set for Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017, at 2 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.
Deacon Miller believes in thoughtful action, not just words. “The whole idea of celebrating Dr. King’s birthday is celebrating peace and justice and righteousness,” said Deacon Miller. “The prophet Micah said ‘do justice,’ he didn’t say form a committee,” he added.
He is a nationally known revivalist, preacher and radio host. He calls on people to embrace what he calls radical love. He has been active in the Black Lives Matter movement and is the former head of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries in his home diocese.
“Deacon Art is an everyday kind of guy who leverages his life experiences to make the Gospel relevant and impactful to all, regardless of their knowledge of scripture. Considering the times we are living in, his message will leave you wanting to improve your relationship with God,” said Will Jemison, coordinator for the Office of Black Catholic Ministry.
Deacon Miller said most Catholics need a reminder to take what they get out of Mass and put it into practice in their daily lives. “Do you know what I wish we said at the end of Mass? ‘The Mass has ended, now the work begins,’” he said. He calls Mass just the start of the conversation with God. “We need to apply what we do Sunday morning to the rest of the week,” he explained.
“Deacon Art Miller is not only an engaging speaker, he is also an effective motivator. He genuinely has walked the walk, not just talked the talk,” said Fran Lavelle, director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Jackson. “He gently calls us to our most noble calling, that of Catholic Christian disciple and does in an affirming way,” she continued.
Deacon Miller has a long-standing connection to Mississippi. He was a friend of Emmitt Till, the 14-year-old Chicago native who was beaten and lynched in Mississippi 50 years ago. Deacon Miller wrote a book, “The Journey to Chatham,” about the impact the killing had on his community hundreds of miles away. He said it woke him up to what the Civil Rights Movement was all about. “It was personal. It no longer became a faded black and white picture in a history book,” he said.
Deacon Miller went on to become an activist for justice and racial reconciliation. Mississippi plays an important role in that effort. “The borders of Mississippi are the U.S. borders in terms of who we are as a people,” he said. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Deacon Miller spent time in Bay St. Louis helping people clean out and repair their homes. “When someone you love dies, you have a kind of joyous sorrow. That’s my relationship with Mississippi.”
In addition to speaking at the MLK celebration, Deacon Miller plans to visit several schools in the diocese.
All are welcome at the event, but larger groups should notify the Office of Black Catholic Ministry, 601- 949-6935.
Fatima centennial brings replica statue to Mississippi
The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima, venerated around the United States and the world since 1947, is making several stops in the Diocese of Jackson.
The statue’s principal custodian, Patrick L. Sabat gave the following interview to Peter Finney, Jr., of the Clarion Herald, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, before an exhibition there.
The traveling pilgrimage statue of Our Lady of Fatima is illumined Aug. 21 at St. Paul Church in Sellersburg, Ind. The statue, a duplicate of the one at the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, was commissioned in 1947 to travel the world, sharing the message of Our Lady of Fatima, who appeared six times to three shepherd children in 1917. (CNS photo/Natalie Hoefer, The Criterion ) See FATIMA-PILGRIMAGE-STATUE Sept. 21, 2016.
“It’s been great, not only in the numbers of people who are coming but also hearing from the individuals who are so excited and joyful and have told me they have gone back to confession after so many years,” said Sabat, who is taking the three-and-half foot mahogany image of the Blessed Mother, carved by artist José Thedim, on a tour of more than 100 U.S. Catholic dioceses to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the 1917 apparitions of Mary in Fatima, Portugal.
“People ask me, ‘Look, does the statue make everybody cry?’” Sabat said. “Many people are moved to tears.”
In honor of the Fatima centennial, Sabat began traversing the United States in a figure-8 pattern in March, traveling with the statue in an RV festooned with images of the “Fatima Centennial: U.S. Tour for Peace.”
Not that the Blessed Mother has been a stumbling block to anyone, Sabat said. Recently in Chicago, which has been beset by gun violence, a church held a candlelight procession in the neighborhood, and a man who was drinking heavily in a bar came out to see the commotion caused by the police lights and the candles.
“He was ready to drink his life away, and he walked out of the bar because he thought it was another uprising,” Sabat said. “He was moved to tears when he saw the people with the candles and saying the rosary. The next day he went to confession. How do I know this? The priest who heard his confession related what had happened.”
In Ohio, a parishioner who had invited him to stay in her home during the statue’s visit expressed her sadness about being estranged from two of her five children. During the meal, the woman’s phone rang, and she excused herself to answer it.
“She had been praying for Our Lady to heal the parish during the time window of when the statue was there,” Sabat said. “She came back and told me, ‘That was my son. He’s never called me in a year.’”
The next morning, the woman told Sabat about another phone call she had received at 2 a.m.
“She said, ‘My daughter called and told me she would have ended her life if I had not answered the phone,’” Sabat said. “Our Lady Queen of Peace brought two of her children back to her. Those are the kinds of things people tell me.”
Sabat said despite what might be considered a growing coarsening of society and a decrease in people practicing the faith, he has never been harassed by anyone as he travels the U.S. with the pilgrim statue. On the contrary, he said, people with questions have been very respectful and open to hearing Our Lady’s message of peace.
“I’ve never experienced anything rude or mean, even from non-Catholics,” Sabat said. “When I fly, I open her bag so people can see her. A lot of times the captain will say, ‘We’re going to have a good flight because we have a very special passenger today.’ When I go through security, they know exactly who she is, and a conversation gets started.”
The RV has already logged 21,000 miles. “It’s about time for an oil change,” he said.
All are welcome to see the statue at these Mississippi stops: Tuesday, Jan. 3, Grenada St. Peter Paris; Wednesday, Jan. 4, Gluckstadt St. Joseph Parish; Thursday, Jan. 5, McComb St. Alphonsus Parish.
Contact the indivdual parish for details on the visit. To learn more about the tour and the statue at www.fatimatourforpeace.com.
Cathechist Certification classes for Winter 2017 announced
As we continue to focus on the church’s catechetical theme for the year, Prayer, the Faith Prayed, the Office of Faith Formation invites you to participate in the following classes. To register or for more information contact Annette Stevenson at 601-960-8470 or annette.stevenson@jacksondiocese.org.
Onsite classes are offered in a traditional classroom format and are 16 hours in length. The cost is $20 per class plus the cost of books. Depending on the instructor and needs of the students, scheduling of onsite classes is specific to locations as listed above.
ONSITE Level II
Deanery I
Sacraments & Worship:
Celebration of the Christian Mystery
Instructor: Jill Hisaw
Location: Pearl, St. Jude Parish
Dates: Jan. 15, 29; Feb. 12, 26; March 12, 19; April 9, 23.
Time:Sundays: 3- 5 p.m.
Text: Doors to the Sacred, Joseph Martos
Sacraments & Worship:
Celebration of the Christian Mystery
Instructor: Anita Hossley
Location: Vicksburg St. Michael Parish
Dates: Jan. 24, 31; Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28; March 7, 14, 21
Time:Tuesdays: 7- 9 p.m.
Text: Sacraments: A New Understanding for a New Generation, Ray R. Noll
Mary and the Saints, Companions on the Journey
Instructor: Sister Michele Doyle
Location: Jackson Holy Family Parish
Dates: Jan., 11, 18, 25; Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22; March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5, 12
Time: Wednesdays: 6:15 – 7:30 p.m.
Texts: All Generations will call me Blessed, McManus; All Saints, Robert Ellsberg
Christology: Jesus of the Gospels and History
Instructor: Sister Michele Doyle
Location: Yazoo City St. Mary Parish
Dates: Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26; Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22
Time: Thursdays: 12:45 – 2:45 p.m.
Text: An Introduction to Christology: In the Gospels & the Early Church, Luttenberger
Deanery II
New Testament: Revelation in Christ
Instructor: Valencia Hall
Location: Natchez, Holy Family Parish
Dates: Jan., 23, 30; Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27; March 6, 13
Time: Mondays 5- 7 p.m.
Text: Reading the New Testament, An Introduction Third Edition Revised& Updated, Pheme Perkins
ONLINE classes: Level I
Catholic Understanding of Scripture
Sunday, Jan. 8 – Jan. 29
Faith and Moral Development
Feb. 12 – March 5
Catechist Certification Introductory and Level I courses are offered online and take 5-8 hours total to complete. Do the coursework at your convenience during the weeks specified for each course.
Level I Courses are FREE.
To register, email your request for a registration form to: annette.stevenson@jacksondiocese.org.
The course facilitator, Fran Lavelle, will communicate with you through email, with information & directions needed to login to the course.
Please register at least one week before the start of the course.
Mass, meal and history lesson converge at Christ the King anniversary
Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated Mass for the 50th anniversary of Christ the King Parish.
By Laura Grisham
SOUTHAVEN – On Saturday, Nov. 26, the feast of Christ the King, the parish of the same name celebrated its 50th anniversary. Christ the King is one of several parishes in the northern part of the Diocese of Jackson served by the Priests of the Sacred Heart as part of Sacred Heart Southern Missions.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated a Mass along with Father Ed Kilianski, CSJ, provincial superior for the U.S. province for the Priests of the Sacred Heart and many of the Sacred Heart priests who have served the parish.
After Mass, parishioners enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal featuring their own dishes as well as 21 turkeys prepared by Father Thi Pham, SCJ, moderator of the community.
Christ the King was established March 13, 1966, as a mission of Sacred Heart Church. Seventeen Catholics from Horn Lake and Southaven gathered with Father Michael Maloney to celebrate a Mass at Dealers Auto Sales, a car auction barn. Each weekend, parishioners moved the cars out of the barn before Mass.
Construction on the first parish church started in 1969. The first Mass was celebrated in July and the church was dedicated in October. The parish has only grown since then. The parish started on the current structure in 2002. Christ the King is the largest parish in the diocese, according to the 2016 Status Animarum, an annual census of the diocese. The pastoral team includes Fathers Pham, Zbgniew Morawiec and Greg Schill, all SCJ.
(This story was reprinted with permission from the newsletter for Sacred Heart Southern Missions, From the Heart.)
A young member of Christ the King looks at the history display at Christ the King’s anniversary celebration.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz posed with Hispanic dancers after he celebrated Mass for the 50th anniversary of Christ the King Parish.
Bishop Joseph Kopacz celebrated Mass for the 50th anniversary of Christ the King Parish.
SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King members gathered for a feast after the Mass.
SOUTHAVEN – Christ the King members gathered for a feast after the Mass.
Feast of Gudalupe: ‘This is a day of joy and faith’
Participants in the Guadalupe Procession wait for the bishop outside the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.
MADISON – Pilar Terrazas (left) and Michelle McLean carry the banner with the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe in procession toward St. Francis of Assisi while the congregation sings Sunday, Dec. 11. This is the first time the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been celebrated at the parish. Fathers Albeenreddy Vatti, pastor, Jason Johnston and Msgr. Michael Flannery celebrated the Eucharist at 7 p.m.
Jackson St. Therese and Holy Family parishes joined together for a celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The dancers from St. Therese brought their gifts to Holy Family.
A baby reaches for the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe during the celebration at St. Christopher in Pontotoc.
JACKSON – Jesüs Galindo, representing Juan Diego, presents the flowers to Bishop Joseph Kopacz at the beginning of the celebration at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. (Photo by Elsa Baughman)
JACKSON – Members of St. Peter Parish, accompanied by Father Anthony Quyet (center) walk around the downtown area in procession praying the rosary Sunday, Dec. 11, for the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Photo by Elsa Baughman)
CARTHAGE – Members of St. Anne Parish band process around the church’s grounds playing songs to the Virgin of Guadalupe during her feast celebration Saturday, Dec. 10, at 9 a.m. Mass was celebrated after the procession. (Photo by Sister María Elena Méndez)
BOONEVILLE – St. Francis of Assisi Parish children gather in front of a newly blessed image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to adorn it with roses Sunday, Dec. 11, during the celebration of her feast day. After Mass parishioners enjoyed a feast of Mexican food and other items during a potluck dinner. (Photo by Sheila Przesmicki)